Going on Faith
by BonnieD
Summary: Season 7 is over. What has happened? Things are hinted at but it doesn’t matter – this is ultimately a Faith/Xander ship story. Settle in to watch hip, cool, emotionally damaged Faith and dorky, sweet, emotionally disabled Xander get together.
1. Default Chapter

"Going on Faith: Faith the Vampire Slayer" - Chapter 1 by Bonnie Season 7 is over. What has happened? Things are hinted at but it doesn't matter - this is ultimately a Faith/Xander ship story. Settle in to watch hip, cool, emotionally damaged Faith and dorky, sweet, emotionally disabled Xander get together.  
  
  
  
The Greyhound pulls to a stop with a piercing squeal of air brakes and the passengers soon descend the steps with the leaden gait of people whose legs are practically paralyzed from eight hours of travel. Camera zooms to the bottom step of bus, cue deadly guitar riff as first one scuffed black boot, then another step into view. Pan up to display long leather clad legs, naked midriff studded with a navel ring, skimpy T with "Eat the Chef" emblazoned in glitter letters, and a face - familiar and unexpected. Welcome home to Sunnydale! *******  
  
"No! You don't get it," Willow's hands waved in frustration as she tried to explain the workings of her Ball of Light spell for the tenth time to a nodding, but obviously non-comprehending Dawn. "It's not based on ....It's the level of FOCUS not the......Aargh! Never mind!" She shook her close- cropped red head. "Let's come back to this later. I'm starved. Anyone else up for something from the deli?"  
  
Dawn pouted, "Aw come on, Will, I was just getting a glimmer of....something. Let me try again."  
  
"Maybe, after sustenance," Willow conceded.  
  
"Make that a ham on rye sustenance for me," Xander threw out.  
  
"The same, with provolone and three pickles." Dawn dropped the pout and turned back to the computer she had been working on earlier. "And hey, does anyone have any idea what search word I should type in to find out something about Krelock demons?"  
  
"What do you want to know about them?" Anya looked up from her account book, as always ready to show off her extensive knowledge of demonology. "Willow, don't forget my chicken salad. No pickles."  
  
"Well, I just wondered about their habitat...." Dawn went over to the counter and leaned against it to chat Anya up. It wasn't hard to get the twice-ex-vengeance demon to relate more than Dawn had ever really wanted to know about the small, slime-coated, woods-dwelling Krelock.  
  
Xander cast a fond look at the tall teen then lowered his voice to speak to Willow, who was seated at the research table across from him, fumbling in her purse for her keys.  
  
"So, how's she really doin' with the magic?"  
  
"Not bad," Willow admitted. "But I still think research is her natural gift, despite the fact that the girl's packed with green glowy power. She just doesn't seem to have the knack for tapping into that."  
  
Xander nodded. "Well, maybe one superwoman in the family is enough. Where is Buffy anyhow? Wasn't she supposed to be here by now?"  
  
A mischievous smile twitched Willow's lips. "Oh, I wouldn't expect her to be too on time today - not that she ever really is. Anniversary, you know."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Yup. Three month anniversary according to Spike."  
  
"Ewww." Xander automatically grimaced and shuddered. "Please don't.....You know I can't hear that name without....." He trailed off, shaking his head.  
  
"Oh grow up, Xander. You've gotta get used to it sometime."  
  
"No I don't."  
  
"Anyway, the point is....well, you know what a romantic he is. I don't think we can expect to see either of them til sometime tomorrow......or maybe next week."  
  
"Again I say, ewwww." Xander frowned. "How many 'anniversaries' does this make now?"  
  
"Well, let's see," Willow pondered. "There was the one week; the one month; the commemoration of the day he first saw her; her birthday - which doesn't really count does it?; the two month; the anniversary of the day they made up after that big fight - we're still finding stray rose petals around the house from that one!. Then one for the day he claims she first kissed him, and now the 'three month' anniversary - I think that one's aluminum foil. Think I'll make a little foil duck."  
  
"Gifts? We're going to be expected to start providing gifts for these anniversaries?"  
  
"Kidding, Xander!! Jeesh."  
  
"Sandwiches?" Anya called, breaking off her consultation with Dawn. "Some of us haven't eaten since breakfast, you know."  
  
"I'm going. I'm going." Willow rose, just as the front bell rang and the errant Buffy came breezing in.  
  
"Sorry I'm late. What's on the agenda," she said, breathlessly, removing her cap and shaking out her hair. "Whew, it's getting cold outside. Anya, do you have any coffee made?"  
  
"Does this look like a café? Have Willow bring you a cup back from the deli."  
  
"Deli? Ooh good. I'm starving! Hey, Will, can you get me a turkey on....."  
  
"Wheat, no mustard, no mayo.....I know," sighed the redhead. "I hope you all are ready to pony up some cash or the Willow Express is going nowhere."  
  
"Here. I'll take it out of petty cash - my treat." Anya unexpectedly offered. The others exchanged frightened looks. Anya caught their silence and looked up, "What? I can't be generous on occasion?" She extracted a couple of bills from her little cashbox. "Here. Thirty should cover it."  
  
Willow went over and gingerly accepted the money.  
  
"Get a half dozen cookies, too," the shopkeeper added.  
  
"Buffy, what were the signs of an impending apocalypse again?" Dawn asked, sweetly. "Cause I think the world's out of whack, what with vampires sleeping with Slayers and vengeance demons sharing their loot. I don't know...."  
  
Anya smacked the back of Dawn's impeccably groomed, glossy brown head. "That's about enough out of you, missy, or you can pay for your own sandwich."  
  
Dawn smothered a laugh and wandered back over to her beloved computer.  
  
"And speaking of...." Xander shuddered at the thought of vampires and Slayers performing ungodly acts together. "Where IS the Bleached Wonder?"  
  
"Your epithets are outdated Xander. Spike's hair has been brown for months now. And, in answer to your question, he's fixing some furniture that.....broke." Buffy's cheeks pinkened prettily and an unrepentant grin stole across her mouth. "He'll join us for patrol later."  
  
"Epithets? Is that your new word-of-the-day?"  
  
"Yes. And did you see how easily I just slipped it into a sentence," the Slayer said, proudly.  
  
"Wait a minute. You guys broke the bed AGAIN?" Dawn interrupted. "You know you could save a lot of wear and tear on the furniture if you'd just do it on the floor all the time."  
  
"Dawn!!" Three shocked voices chimed in, as Buffy, Xander and Willow tried to pretend the almost-seventeen year old was still ignorant of the facts of life. Dawn looked around at them, opened her mouth to complain about being treated like a child, then gave up, shaking her head. She grabbed Willow by the arm.  
  
"Come on. I'll go with you." And the pair headed out the door to the deli.  
  
Buffy tossed her jacket on a chair and slipped into it, facing Xander across the table. "So, again, what's on the agenda for today?" she asked, idly flipping the pages of a musty, dictionary sized book.  
  
"You tell me," Xander replied. "Any out of the ordinary weirdness in Sunnydale lately?"  
  
"Not so much. Just vamps and demons, demons and vamps. The endless parade," Buffy replied. She shot a glance at Anya, who was now straightening shelves at the front of the shop, "And speaking of demons.....how is Anya doing with the whole losing her powers for the second time thing?"  
  
"Your guess is as good as mine. It's not like she'd confide in me, Buffy." Xander looked up at his former fiance, backlit in the glow of the window. "But, if you want my honest opinion, she's happier now than she ever was before.....with me."  
  
"Oh no, Xander, that's not....."  
  
"I mean, look at her. She's glowing."  
  
"I don't know. That could be the light from the window." Buffy shut up at the pained look her friend gave her. "Sorry."  
  
"When D'Hoffryn rescinded her powers and we tried to make another go of it, I thought 'This is it. My second chance. Everything'll be different this time. If I'm careful and don't make any mistakes, it'll all work out....better.' But.....well, you know what happened. We couldn't seem to stop trying to make each other into different people than we are. Why is that?"  
  
Buffy shook her head. She was the queen of trying to force her lovers into designated roles and had no answer. She was still fighting tooth and nail to hang on to the relationship she'd managed to forge with Spike and certainly wasn't qualified to give advice.  
  
Xander sighed. "Anyway, since we broke up again Anya has thrown herself back into retail with a vengeance." He grinned. "Couldn't resist that pun."  
  
Buffy smiled, too. "She is in her element, with the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club. A demon with civic pride. Who'd have guessed." She paused, then took the plunge. "And you, Xander. How are you dealing with it? Is it hard to come here for the research and all - cause the Scoobies can meet at my house if it would help."  
  
"Surprisingly enough.....I'm okay. I look at An now and feel....I don't know, a little sad -nostalgic kinda, but it really doesn't hurt like I expect it to. Is this what getting over someone feels like?"  
  
Buffy thought of Angel.......and waited for the pang she used to feel at the very thought of his name. Pang - no. Nostalgia - yes. She smiled again at Xander, "Yep, that's what it feels like."  
  
Then, for good measure she did a check on her feelings for Spike. An aching emptiness because he wasn't immediately at hand yawned within her, soon to be replaced by a raging inferno of desire - both lustful and otherwise, that made her ready to leap up and run home to his arms that very second. Buffy didn't know if the confusion of powerful emotions was completely healthy, but had given up fighting against the current. This was her life now.  
  
"Ahh....Buffy?" Xander snapped his fingers in front of her face.  
  
"Ooh, sorry." Buffy shook her head and brought her attention back to the present.  
  
"You were celebrating your anniversary again weren't you? I could tell by the drool."  
  
Buffy had the grace to blush, then opened her mouth to return a clever quip when the bell at the front of the shop rang again.  
  
"Can I help you?" the pair at the table heard Anya enquire of the customer.  
  
"Uh, yeah, I'm lookin' for.....I mean, I was supposed to meet someone here," a low female voice replied.  
  
Buffy's eyes widened at the familiar tone. She jumped to her feet and whirled around to face the door. Xander rose behind her.  
  
"Meet someone? No customers besides yourself are here right now," Anya politely answered.  
  
"No. He...or she....wouldn't be.....I mean....."  
  
"Faith!" Buffy gasped and launched herself across the room.  
  
In three bounds she was on the dark Slayer like a leopard attacking a gazelle, only Faith was no gazelle. The younger warrior quickly recovered from her surprise and returned the punch Buffy had delivered to her gut with an elbow to the blond girl's face and a quick jab of her bootheel onto Buffy's moccasin clad toe.  
  
Buffy let out a yelp, but instantly grabbed Faith around the waist and threw her up against the front door. She locked her arm across the other woman's throat, pinning her there. "What do you want? Why are you here?" she demanded.  
  
"Hey B, long time no see," her nemesis choked out. "See you haven't lost your....edge."  
  
"No small talk, Faith. I want to know why you're here and I want to know Right. Now!"  
  
Faith would've nodded if she could, but with the other Slayer's arm crushing her windpipe it was all she could do to spit out the words, "Watcher's Council" as the lights began to dim before her eyes.  
  
Buffy let up slightly. "What?!"  
  
"The Council. Sprung me. Sent me here - to the Hellmouth."  
  
"No way."  
  
"Way. Guess they figured I'm rehabilitated enough. I'm supposed to meet my new Watcher. Here."  
  
"I haven't heard anything about this. Giles would've called....."  
  
"Believe it, chica. You tellin' me there's no Watcher here to meet me?"  
  
"No! This is....Why would.....?"  
  
"Don't ask me. These days someone tells me how to jump, I say 'how high'. Got a call outta the blue last week sayin' I'd be coming up for 'special' parole and that a bus ticket here would be waiting for me." Faith's dark eyes locked with Buffy's and she saw no slyness or deceit there. Of course, Faith had always been a damn good liar.  
  
Buffy tightened her arm against the other girl's throat once more. "If I find you're lying to me....."  
  
"Geez, B, lighten up. You should be happy. Council told me one other thing. They're retiring you. I'm gonna be your replacement."  
  
(to be continued) 


	2. 2

Going on Faith - Chapter 2 "Thanks to all who reviewed chapter one. Please continue with positive AND negative comments so that I may improve. Sorry if I missed responding to any of you. I do like to e-mail back everyone if possible.  
  
"Please!" Anya interrupted the glare-down. "If you're going to have some kind of Slayer rumble, take it outside. My insurance is going to be cancelled if this place gets destroyed one more time."  
  
Buffy backed off, grabbing Faith by the shoulder and shoving her toward the table, where Xander was still poised - ready to help if needed. 'And, help do what exactly,' the construction worker wondered. What possible use could his puny man-strength be if there was a pitched battle between these two amazons?  
  
The blond Slayer pushed her counterpart down onto the chair she had just vacated.  
  
"Sit! Don't move. I'm calling Giles," she barked. Then, looking up at Xander, "Watch her." Buffy headed for the phone at the counter.  
  
"Right." Again, the man wondered what he could be expected to do if Faith decided to..oh, say, jump up, break the chair over her leg and ram a piece of it through his throat. He dropped back into his seat, watching her warily.  
  
Faith's velvet brown eyes met his own and her full lips curved flirtatiously. "Hey, Andy! Long time, no see, how's it hangin'?"  
  
"That's 'Xander'," he corrected nervously. He had a quick mental flash of Faith's nude body above him, head thrown back in ecstasy, and wondered exactly where it rated on the humiliation scale that she couldn't even recall his name. "Um, I've been, you know.busy fightin' the good fight on the Hellmouth."  
  
"I hear ya. It just never ends in this town does it?"  
  
"And you? How have you.." Xander enquired politely, then remembered exactly where Faith had been for the past several years.  
  
"Oh, enjoying my rest-up in the slammer." Faith appeared to reminisce. "It was.a nice break, you know, from all the fighting." She grinned. "Well, from fighting demons anyway. Some of those babes are pretty tough scrappers."  
  
"I'll bet," Xander couldn't believe the inanities coming out of his mouth. He cast a glance over at Buffy, whose eyes hadn't left Faith even as she pressed the speed dial to Giles. Anya was at the counter too, compulsively polishing the surface with her dust cloth and studying the newcomer.  
  
"So.." Xander tried to fill the uncomfortable silence. "The Watchers' Council really sent you here to relieve Buffy, eh?"  
  
"That about covers it."  
  
"Wow, that's..."  
  
"Pretty freaky, huh?" Faith agreed. "Considering my history in this town...but, a Slayer's duty and all that. 'Ours not to reason why.'."  
  
"And since when have YOU done what the Council orders?" Buffy shot from across the room.  
  
"Since they got me out of prison. Look, B, I know you got no reason to trust me and plenty of reason to hate me. More than plenty..but.."  
  
"Shhh.. Giles?" Buffy shushed Faith with a wave of her hand, turned her back and lowered her voice to consult with her Watcher.  
  
The dark haired girl cast her eyes down, jiggling one leg and drumming her fingers nervously on the table. She seemed to have forgotten Xander entirely and he was able to examine the changes in the young Slayer, unnoticed. Physically she didn't look all that different; same thick, wavy hair, startling dark eyes, soft-lipped mouth, fair skin. But looking deeper he could see fine lines already forming on her twenty-something face, a certain tightness in her features, and, could it be, vulnerability instead of hardness in those eyes? Also, her tightly muscled body had crossed the line from slender to skinny and that porcelain skin could be termed pasty. All in all Faith looked like a shadow of her former self. Just then, the girl looked up and caught his gaze. Xander quickly grabbed the closest volume and began examining pages as if he actually understood Latin.  
  
Anya, bored with listening to Buffy's half of the conversation with Giles, dusted her way over to the table.  
  
"So, this is the infamous 'Faith'?" She folded her arms and gave a piercing stare. "I heard you're hell on wheels."  
  
"Yeah, that'd be me.or was me. Now I'm more the take-it-easy-and-see-what- happens-next girl."  
  
Anya continued to stare, doubtfully.  
  
"Really!" Faith insisted. "I didn't come here to make trouble. Just wanna keep a low profile and do my job."  
  
"Killing demons."  
  
"That's right."  
  
"Hmm." Anya seemed to finish her weighing and measuring of the new Slayer. She shrugged and moved over to a shelf of candles and began rearranging the display. "Just be sure to keep your battles out of my shop and give my building protection from destructive minions and I'm sure we'll get along just fine."  
  
Xander smiled and shook his head at Anya's wonderful directness. Faith turned back toward the young man with a puzzled look on her face. She lowered her voice, "Andy, who IS that?"  
  
"Well, that's just fine!" Buffy hung the phone up with a bang and marched back over to the table. "Giles just got back from a trip and he doesn't know a thing about any of this. The Council didn't leave him any phone messages, e-mails or faxes, so.." She glared at Faith.  
  
"Look, I can't prove it to you. All I know is what I was told. But, B, I swear I'm not lyin' to you."  
  
"Giles is contacting the Council and will call back as soon as he finds out anything. Until then you're staying right where I can see you."  
  
"Whatever." Faith put her hands up. "Maybe they'll have some information on what happened to my new Watcher."  
  
An agonizing fifteen minutes crept by as Xander, Buffy and Faith waited for the phone to ring and Anya, blissfully ignorant of the tension, restocked shelves. Xander opened his mouth to make some kind of small talk to fill the silence, but for once, found absolutely nothing to say. Then the shop bell rang for the fourth time in the last hour, as the other Scoobies swept in on a cold breeze.  
  
"Hey, everybody, the lunch ladies have arrived," Will sang out.  
  
"Buffy, Willow let me drive her new car and I even parallel-parked!" Dawn chimed in. She loved to remind her older sister of her newly anointed state of 'licensed driver', since Buffy still hadn't taken the test despite Spike's (im)patient tutoring.  
  
"Faith!" Willow squeaked, catching sight of their unwelcome visitor.  
  
"Holy shit!" Dawn agreed, fumbling the bag of sandwiches and catching it just before it hit the floor.  
  
"Oh good! Lunch!" Anya went to retrieve the precious parcel and pass out the goodies.  
  
"How did? What? And When?" babbled the witch.  
  
"Council of Watchers. Released. Don't know when," answered Buffy. "Giles is checking on it."  
  
"How about Why?" Dawn inserted. "Why's she here?" "My 'replacement' or so she says," Buffy's mouth tightened into a grim line.  
  
"Woah." Willow tried valiantly to recover, holding out a hand toward Faith. "Well, well..welcome. Long time."  
  
"No see. Yeah, that seems to be the general mood." Faith answered. She stared at the proferred hand and reached for it hesitantly.  
  
Willow, seeing the disturbed aura surrounding the girl, immediately understood. Shame? Guilt? Self loathing? Yep, she'd been there herself not so long ago. She bestowed one of her patented Sunny Willow smiles on the woman and was happy to see her face relax just a little. Then she grasped Faith's hand firmly and said, "It's good to see you again."  
  
Faith frowned in confusion and pulled away, her eyes sparkling with what looked suspiciously like unshed tears.  
  
Dawn, who remembered Faith only from the time she'd come to dinner at their house over four years ago, and had only heard second-hand accounts of her outrageous deeds, was fascinated by this larger-than-life character. She took the seat between Faith and Xander and began unwrapping her sandwich, sneaking little glances at the 'rogue' Slayer. There were tons of things she wanted to ask, but Buffy's evil-eye kept her mouth shut - for now.  
  
Buffy was in full pacing and muttering mode now. She strode the room like a caged tiger, making everyone nervous.  
  
"Hey..sandwich." Willow held up Buffy's turkey on white, trying to tempt her to sit down.  
  
"I'm not hungry anymore. Give it to her," the blond Slayer dismissed the offering.  
  
"Buffy, you've got to eat something. Look. I'll split it. You two can share," Willow continued to sooth.  
  
The blond stopped in her tracks and stared at her friend. "Obvious with the symbolism much?"  
  
Willow shrugged and smiled.  
  
"One Slayer on the hellmouth is enough. It's a big world, they can station her somewhere else!"  
  
"Buffy," Xander ventured to stick his neck on the chopping block. "This is your chance to get out. Isn't that kinda what you've been praying for since the beginning of this gig? How many times since we've known you have you said, 'If only I could live a normal life.be a normal gir...Um. Never mind." He cut himself off as the thunderclouds rolled across the Slayer's face.  
  
Dawn, being a sister and oblivious to storm warnings, carried on. "Yeah! Ever since mom and I found out about your 'secret life' all you've done is complain, complain, complain. This is great, Buffy! You can finally go back to college. Get a decent job. Hey, we could even move away from this town! Go to New York or something!"  
  
Buffy actually growled as she stalked toward the training room. (Too much time around Spike, Dawn thought.)  
  
"Xander, keep an eye on her," she called back over her shoulder. "I'm gonna work out for awhile."  
  
"Uh, yes ma'am." Xander gave Faith an apologetic grimace. "Um, just sit there and eat your lunch, okay? I don't want to have to hurt you."  
  
"Ri-ight." Faith picked up her sandwich and wolfed down a few bites, before pausing to pull apart the bread and critically study it. "There's no mustard or mayo on this," she muttered to herself.  
  
"That's our Buffy," Xander answered and shoved a juice box toward her. "This'll help wash it down."  
  
The shop was again filled with awkward silence and the smackety sounds of chewing.  
  
"So, Faith...." Dawn looked at her with bright-eyed interest. "How'd you get here? And where are you staying?"  
  
"Took a bus. They gave me a little money to travel on. Guess I'll get a motel after we figure this Watcher business out."  
  
"Wow, you really ARE the chosen one. Buffy never got squat from the Council. And Kendra had to travel in the cargo hold of an airplane. They must have big plans for you," Dawn teased.  
  
"Um, anything unusual going down in Sunnydale lately?" Faith asked.  
  
"Nope, silent as the proverbial tomb," Willow answered.  
  
"Shoulda been here last year, though," Xander added. "First Evil, ancient beyond all ancient-ness. That was a Big Bad you could sink your teeth into. It ended with a big battle, lots of special effects - swirling vortexes and the like, and the two teams - Good and Evil - fighting to the death."  
  
"I was on 'Good'," Anya hastened to explain, "even though it forced me to fight against my own people. Just wanted you to know....as a Slayer....that there's no trace of demon left in me. All my powers rescinded. All human girl here."  
  
"Anyway," Xander continued. "It was a quiet summer after that. A lot of rebuilding going on around town. I guess most vamps moved away to bloodier pastures."  
  
"But you know the hellmouth," said Willow, thoughtfully. "Never a dull moment for long. I've tried to reach out and feel for anything bubbling under the surface, but I'm not catching any vibes - yet."  
  
"Wow, sounds like good times! Wish I coulda been here to help."  
  
"Well, you're here now. Maybe you could form your own Scooby gang and the rest of us can get some peace," Anya replied. "I, for one, don't care if I never swing another battle axe in my life. Do you know how heavy those things are?"  
  
"I'm pretty used to working solo, so, if they really have brought me here to take on Slayer duty, I won't be needing any help," the Slayer shrugged.  
  
"Everyone needs help, Faith," Willow quietly said. "Maybe, physically, you can handle it without friends, but...they're sure nice to have around...." She looked up at Xander and smiled, remembering just how valuable simple friendship had been in saving her at a critical time.  
  
Xander caught the look and smiled back.  
  
Faith gulped down the rest of her juice box and tossed it toward the deli bag, making a clean shot. "Whatever. Can I stand now, Harris, cause I need to use the john."  
  
"Well, uh, maybe Willow should go with...."Xander tried to think what kind of trouble Faith could possibly get into in the windowless cubicle at the back of the shop. It's not like she was going to give them the slip, since she'd walked in here of her own accord.  
  
"What? You think I need some help with my zipper?" Faith teased, then gave the young man a sultry look. "Maybe YOU'd like to come help me with that?"  
  
"No - I -It's just that Buffy said...."  
  
"Still B's lap dog, eh?" The woman shook her head and moved toward the restroom, hips swaying provacatively.  
  
"That's the old Faith we all know and hate," Xander muttered, wondering when he was going to grow a pair of balls and stand up to the women in his life.  
  
Minutes later, Buffy burst through the training room door, sweaty and pink from her exertions at the punching bag. Here eyes widened as she looked frantically around the small room for signs of her one-time nemesis.  
  
"Where's Faith? Xander! You let her go? Why didn't you call...."  
  
"Buffy! Get a grip!" Dawn commanded. "Geez, over-react much? She's using the bathroom."  
  
Buffy looked at the closed door, then back at the group. "Sorry." She said sheepishly to Xander. "But you'll understand if I'm a little wigged out by this whole thing. I - I just can't begin to know what to think. If she's telling the truth.... If I could just walk away from it all..... I don't know how I feel about that."  
  
"Like, if you're not the Slayer, what ARE you?" Willow nodded. She knew what loss of incredible power felt like, and although it had been over a year since her taste of dark majik, she would never lose the memory of it coursing through her. It would be all too easy to lose herself to that craving again, if she allowed it.  
  
"Exactly." Buffy nodded. "All the possibilites that opens up...." She trailed off, thinking of a life without killing, maybe a really important job and a family....children. 'And what about Spike?' a chill voice deep inside her whispered. Okay. Time to shut down the old emotional roller- coaster until she knew if there was any reason to worry. Do things first - think later!  
  
Faith re-entered the room, finger-combing her hair back with one hand, and managing to look cool and nervous at the same time.  
  
"So what's the scoop, Summers? You got a plan yet?"  
  
Buffy gave her counterpart an appraising look. "I have to be at work in an hour, and I obviously can't take you with me. I want you to come to my house and wait there with Spike. He'll bring you on patrol later." She continued, addressing the rest of the gang. "Anya, I gave Giles my cell number - again - but if he loses it and calls here, please give me a call right away. Willow and Xander, thanks for coming today. If you can think of any researchy things to do then go for it, otherwise...."  
  
"We're dismissed. Gotcha herr general." Xander nodded, wondering what else he could do to fill this long Saturday afternoon. Visions of the piles of laundry in his apartment filled his head. Joy!  
  
"If you want to meet for patrol later, come by my house about 9. As for you Dawn, remember you had to clean the bathrooms and your bedroom before you went out tonight?"  
  
"Um...."  
  
"We discussed this," Buffy sighed. "Please let's not start battling about the housework again."  
  
Dawn scowled but nodded her agreement, figuring the less fuss she made about the little things, the more likely she could get away with staying out past curfew on her date. A happy Buffy was an oblivious Buffy; an already pissed Buffy was just....trouble.  
  
"Uh, Buffy? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Willow beckoned her aside.  
  
"What's up?" the Slayer whispered, noting the witch's 'concern' face.  
  
"Maybe I should go over to your house, too. I mean, Faith doesn't even know Spike. It could be really awkward for her. I realize he's supposed to be a guard, but wouldn't it be more comfortable for both of them with a third party who they both know?"  
  
"You're right! Of course, you're right. I didn't even think....See, Will, that's me all over, really bad with the social skills. Wouldn't want to make our 'guest' uncomfortable."  
  
"Was that sarcasm? Cause honestly, Buffy, sometimes I can't even tell anymore. Faith is not exactly our prisoner, you know. And besides you catch more flies with honey....though why anyone would want to catch flies is beyond me. Anyway, I'm just saying it doesn't hurt to be nice and to keep things, well, civilized."  
  
"All right. Point taken." her friend admitted. She checked her watch. "So let's roll before I'm late for my first class. Those little boys'll be breaking up the furniture if I'm not there to set them pummeling on each other."  
  
Willow and Buffy broke their huddle. "Okay, Faith, let's go." Buffy called. "See you later, Anya. Don't keep Dawn here too late. There's stuff she needs to do at home."  
  
The shopkeeper and her assistant barely nodded, their heads bent together over a bin of discounted charms they were inventorying.  
  
Xander walked the two Slayers and the witch outside. Following behind the three his gaze inevitably dropped down to their butts; nice, nice, and verrry nice. Faith in leather, you just couldn't top that. He shook his head to clear it. 'Harris you gotta get out more,' he admonished himself. 'You've been way too long without a girl.' He bid the ladies goodbye and set off for a long and fulfilling afternoon of laundering.  
  
Faith slipped into the passenger seat next to Willow, Buffy leaning over the back seat as if ready to put a chokehold on the other Slayer if she stepped out of line. The dark haired woman shook her head slightly and sighed. It was exactly what she had expected wasn't it? The suspicion wasn't anything she hadn't earned. She had known coming to Sunnydale again would be no picnic.  
  
What she hadn't counted on was the small acts of kindness that turned in her gut like a knife. Willow's open smile, Xander's casual offering of a juice box of all things, Dawn's light teasing, even that weird Anya chick's calm acceptance were more painful than any angry glare that Buffy could punish her with. She had raised her guard against blows but she hadn't expected this....these little common kindnesses that pierced right through her armor and cut her to the quick.  
  
Faith turned her head to the window and pressed her forehead against it. She watched the familiar yet changed streets of Sunnydale pass by and wondered what would happen next.  
  
to be continued... 


	3. 3

"Going on Faith" - chapter 3  
  
After swinging by the bus station, where Faith had stored her duffle in a locker, Willow pulled the car up in front of the house on Revello Drive. The three women got out, Faith noticing the odd contrast of this bit of suburbia and the black windowed DeSoto parked in the drive like a malignant tumor. Interesting. From the sounds of it Summers had taken up with another vamp - and Faith though herself the wild one!  
  
Buffy led the way indoors, calling out imperiously for Spike the moment she entered the house.  
  
"Miss me, pet? I knew you'd be back." Buffy's newly acquired boyfriend appeared at the top of the stairs. "Fixed the bed, but if you want another go at breaking it.." He broke off, catching sight of the two other women.  
  
"Spike, this is Faith." Buffy cut to the chase. "You haven't met her yet, but she's the 'other' Slayer. She claims the Council sent her here to take my place and we're waiting for a call from Giles to find out what that's all about. I need you to watch her while I'm working, then bring her on patrol later."  
  
Spike was descending the stairs slowly during this explanation, giving the stranger an assessing once-over. So, this was the bint who had come on to him in Buffy's body that time, something the real Buffy didn't know about and, as far as he was concerned, never would. He had only figured out the truth himself from piecing together bits of overheard conversation concerning Faith's last ill-fated visit to Sunnydale. Girl was a real hot item, and he was getting a little turned on remembering her words to him in the Bronze; ".ride you 'til you pop like warm champagne".  
  
He realized he'd been silent too long, when Buffy gave him a sharp look. "So are you okay with that?" she asked.  
  
"Whatever you need," he answered. Then the second part of what she'd said registered; Buffy's replacement. Replacement?! No more slaying? His girl wouldn't be too happy about that..or would she? In an instant all the possible ramifications of that statement flowed through his head. This could change everything. The delicate balance of the Buffy/Spike relationship was about to be hit by a freight train named Faith.  
  
The vampire quickly pushed down the selfish thought and schooled himself to a restrained smile and nod.  
  
"Let me take your bag," he said, like the polite Victorian gentleman he sometimes was.  
  
"That's okay. I got it," the dark-haired woman bristled a little, her Slayer alarm going off at the presence of the enemy. 'Vampire. Vampire. Vampire.' sirened in her head.  
  
Spike immediately backed off. Faith adjusted the duffel on her shoulder while returning his assessing stare.  
  
"You got this one real well-trained," she said with mock admiration. "What do you use to keep him in line?" she smirked.  
  
Buffy's eyes narrowed at the jab, and she opened her mouth to speak, but Willow, eyes darting back and forth between the two Slayers, interrupted.  
  
"All right then. Faith, I'll show you to my room, or, that is, my ex-room - actually Buffy's old room," the witch babbled, attempting to diffuse the situation, "You can take a rest, or a shower," she continued as she tugged on Faith's arm and pulled her up the stairs.  
  
Buffy waited until they were out of earshot before she started in on Spike.  
  
"What? I can hear you thinking from here."  
  
"Nothing. I just wondered what you want done with her 'til this evening."  
  
"Willow will keep her entertained. But, if she's here on some agenda of her own, I want someone with super strength around to keep an eye on her. I'm expecting a call from Giles just as soon as he finds out anything from the Council, then I'll call you, and if that bitch is lying....."  
  
"You'll what?" Spike asked, honestly curious.  
  
"I don't know yet!" Buffy burst out, "but something. I can't have her running loose in Sunnydale again."  
  
"And what if she's telling the truth?" he asked quietly. "What will you do then?"  
  
"Not thinking about that now," she said firmly. "No time and no point until we know if there's something to think about. Besides, I'm almost late for work. So....I'll see you later." She turned to leave, but Spike caught her wrist.  
  
"Uh-uh-uh. The kiddies'll wait an extra minute. Give me a proper goodbye," he reprimanded.  
  
Buffy gave her patented sigh and eye roll, but without much conviction - it was such a habit, she didn't know any other way to react. Soon she was enveloped in her lover's embrace and was being thoroughly kissed.  
  
For a moment she forgot what the hurry had been, but the beep of her watch called her back to reality. She glanced at it, then up at Spike. "Sorry. I really have to go," she muttered with a little smile for him. "Willow's a genius teaching me how to set my timer. I'm never late for anything anymore....or hardly ever....okay, only about half the time now." Her smile blossomed into a full-fledged, sunny Buffy grin, and Spike thought he would combust from the wattage being bestowed on him. He could swear he actually felt his skin begin to prickle and burn.  
  
The vampire bent over her hand and kissed the back formally, then the palm seductively. "Later then," he promised. "Meet you at 9:00. Hillside Cemetery tonight, right?" He was suddenly all business. "We might also want to take a sweep on the north side of town. Overheard some talk of Kudur demons making an appearance there."  
  
"All right." Buffy turned to go, then unexpectedly turned back for a fierce little hug. "I do love you, you know," she almost muttered, blushing, as she quickly released him and escaped out the door.  
  
"Know you do, pet," Spike said to no one, smiling sappily. He shook it off, gave a speculative glance up the stairs, then headed for the kitchen to dig up refreshments for their unexpected guest. *********  
  
"Whites, darks, whites.....plaids, reds, and more darks," Xander chanted the laundry mantra, as he stuffed as many of his clothes as he could cram into a maximum capacity washer. It was worth a few pink or blue undershirts to have this horrific task done as quickly and cheaply as possible. "And laundry......complete," he finished, feeding the last of the quarters into the coin slot.  
  
Sitting in the molded plastic chair which had probably stood in the same spot since 1962, Xander held a dog-eared magazine open on his lap, but watched the colors tumbling past in the dryer in front of him. He thought about his job and what needed to be done on Monday morning, mentally assigning tasks to each of his crew members. He thought about Anya and how the Magic Box was thriving in her capable business hands. He wondered what Giles was up to in England and whether they could expect a visit in the next couple of months. He pondered Willow's newfound wisdom and wished some of it would rub off on him. Underneath the usual Willow-babble was a core of insightfulness that he had never seen in her before. It was like she'd absorbed the best parts of Tara into herself and was now Earthmother- Willow.  
  
But mostly he thought about Faith's abrupt arrival back into their lives. Was she telling the truth about the Watchers' Council? (Had her hair always been that dark and soft looking?) If she replaced Buffy, would the rest of them continue to help out? She'd made it pretty clear they weren't welcome. (Man, those eyes! They seemed to look right into you and see the parts you tried to keep hidden.) And what did "retiring" a Slayer mean, anyway? Would Buffy's strength fade away or would she be expected to act as if it didn't exist anymore? Hell, in mobster movies "retiring" someone usually meant killing 'em! (Did Faith work at walking with that sexy sway or was it natural?) And if there was nothing keeping Buff on the hellmouth, would she take Dawn and move away? Maybe bundle Spike up in a coffin and take him too? God, what WOULD she do with a vampire boyfriend if she could finally lead a normal life? (How could someone be as pale and skinny as Faith and still be SO hot? The air practically crackled when she entered a room. Guess that's what you call magnetism.)  
  
Xander shifted in the hard plastic chair, made sure the magazine was covering his sudden hard-on, and drifted into a daydream that prominently featured Faith and himself on one of the folding counters. Laundry day just couldn't get any better than this.  
  
*********** Faith opened her eyes the minute Willow stepped into the hall and closed the door behind her. She couldn't have stood one more second of the witch's well-meaning but overwhelming chatter. Faith hadn't done as much talking to people as she had today in the past two years put together. She had held herself aloof in prison and wasn't expecting to change that here in Sunnydale. Alone was best. Alone didn't get you into trouble.  
  
She rolled on her back in the soft bed with the sweet smelling comforter and just reveled for a moment in the fact that it wasn't a scratchy, prison- issue blanket. She looked around the room, still decorated the way Willow had left it before she moved, and appreciated the art prints, the earthy colors, and natural fiber materials the young witch had favored. The smell of incense and candles lingered in the air.  
  
"It's friggin' Pier One and the Pottery Barn all rolled into one," she murmured out loud.  
  
This was the nicest room Faith had slept in since...ever. God bless Buffy for bringing her home even if it wasn't for hospitable reasons. She remembered the last time she'd been in this house; attacking Mrs. Summers, fighting Buffy, then taking her place and enjoying all the luxuries a middle-class kid took for granted. Luxuries like a soft bed, clean clothes, and a mother who looked you in the eye and told you how much she loved you. Yeah, well, screw that! Faith slammed the door shut on memories. She'd had the last three years to wallow in remembering and second guessing all her actions. Nothing would bring back the people she'd killed during her reign of terror as Mayor Wilkins' minion, and nothing would bring back the time she'd lost due to her own reckless choices. Time to put a lid on the past and start fresh.  
  
A soft knock sounded on the door and Willow re-entered with a teapot and cup on a tray.  
  
"Hey. You still awake," she asked softly.  
  
"Yeah." Faith sat up in the bed, feeling caught as if she'd been casing the joint instead of just studying the décor.  
  
"It's chamomile. It'll relax you," the witch explained, setting the tray down on the bedside table. She poured the tea and handed Faith the delicate rose-patterned cup.  
  
"Uh. Thanks," said Faith, who hated herbal tea - nothing but flavored water.  
  
Willow hesitated, then sat down on the edge of the bed.  
  
"Look, Faith, probably I should just go and leave you to rest, but..I wanted you to know some things.things that have happened here, and to let you know that we've all been through..well, hell, actually. You may be carrying around a lot of guilt, but I want you to know you're not the only one. Everyone screws up one way or another. Some screw-ups are just more dramatic than most," she gave a rueful smile.  
  
Sensing a story, Faith leaned in eagerly. "What's the scoop? What could a sweet little witch like you have possibly done to feel so guilty? Accidentally turned someone into a toad, didya?"  
  
"Try, going all black-magic, killing a guy and trying to destroy the world." Willow shook her head at the memory. "I was a little nuts at the time," she explained.  
  
"Are you serious?" Faith laughed, then caught the look on the redhead's face. "You ARE serious!" She paused. "What happened?"  
  
"Well, I lost someone I loved and kinda went berserk with the vengeance, but Xander got through to me in the end - stopped me from doing anything stupid..or anything stupider than I'd already done."  
  
"Which included killing a guy," Faith marveled.  
  
"Skinning," Willow muttered.  
  
"And Buffy lets you in the same house as her little sister?!"  
  
"I know. Pretty amazing isn't it. Friends and forgiveness, that's what I'm trying to tell you, Faith. What you did before....it was bad and you should be sorry, but don't be too hard on yourself. Anything can be forgiven. It might take some time, but we'll try to trust you again, too."  
  
Faith could feel herself choking up, like she'd done at the Magic Box - that was so not going to happen!  
  
"Good to know," she said lightly, then changed the subject. "If you don't mind. I'd like to take that shower now." She quickly rose from the bed, and Willow popped up, too.  
  
"Oh sure. Let me show you the bathroom and get you some towels."  
  
The young witch led the way into the hall. Faith stopped when she saw Buffy's vampire stationed just outside the room. His chair was tilted back on the rear legs, leaning against the wall, and he was lazily flipping a lighter opened and closed. He glanced up at the two women, then back down at his lighter.  
  
Faith shook her head. Out of prison but she was still under guard. "Trust, huh?" she muttered.  
  
Willow smiled apologetically and showed her to the bathroom.  
  
***********  
  
"Focus, Ryan!" Buffy called to one of her young charges, as he aimed a kick at the punching bag. "It doesn't matter how much power you have if your focus is off. Concentrate on just one spot on the bag and nail it."  
  
"Hey, Summers, phone!" Brian called as he passed through the training room. "Nina says, 'Keep it short.' You're on company time, you know." The weight trainer laughed at their receptionist's mini-dictator pretensions.  
  
"Okay, boys, I want everyone to choose a partner and take turns practicing blocking for a few minutes," Buffy distractedly ordered, then rushed to the front desk and the phone. Nina gave her a petulant frown as she picked up the receiver.  
  
"Hello? Giles?" Buffy turned her back on the glaring receptionist, trying for some privacy. "Why didn't you use my cell number? I can't really talk here."  
  
"Oh.sorry. Yes, it had that 'out-of-range' message again, so.."  
  
"Okay, okay. So what did you find out?"  
  
"It would appear that Faith is indeed telling the truth. Unfortunately our illustrious Council neglected to keep me apprised of this development or allow me any time to prepare you for the change. Their intention is to install Faith at the hellmouth and to remove you to a lighter duty.elsewhere. Eventually they believe you can be fully retired and able to pick up the threads of a 'normal' life."  
  
"Just like that? They should know by now that I don't take orders well! And where the hell is 'elsewhere'? Tanzania? Spain? Rockway, New Jersey? They think I'm just going to move wherever..." Buffy broke off with a glance over her shoulder at Nina, who was staring at her while still managing to buff her fingernails. Buffy lowered her voice. "Giles. I really can't talk right now. I'm going to call you back as soon as this class is over. Then you can tell me about this new Watcher and when he or she is expected in."  
  
"Yes, well, that's the problem. John Macardle flew out from London two days ago. The passenger manifest indicates that he made his connecting flight from Boston to LAX and he did pick up the rental car reserved for him there. Beyond that......"  
  
"You're telling me Faith's Watcher has disappeared!" Buffy hissed, pulling the phone cord to get as far away from Nina as possible.  
  
"Evidently," Giles said, drily. "And I'm afraid the Council in its infinite wisdom has decided to make that Faith's first case...or trial, if you will. They want her to attempt to locate Macardle. You are to have her phone in at once for her instructions. Let me give you the number she is to call...."  
  
"Wait," the Slayer exploded. "Just wait a minute. Now I'm expected to act as a message bearer between a woman I detest and a group I despise even more? And Faith is going to be running loose around Sunnydale playing Nancy Drew and the Case of the Missing Watcher? This is ridiculous!"  
  
"Buffy, line two is ringing. You're going to have to hang up now!" Nina's annoying whine broke in.  
  
"Just a second!" she snapped.  
  
"You know you're not supposed to make personal calls....." the receptionist droned on in the background, while Buffy hurriedly jotted down the phone number Giles gave her.  
  
"Look, Giles, I'll call you back as soon as I can, so don't go anywhere."  
  
"All right....and, Buffy, I just want you to know I'm terribly sorry about the way this whole thing was handled. As usual, the Council's personnel skills are abominable."  
  
"Yeah, I think we've pretty much established that," she agreed. "Anyway, you have nothing to be sorry for. You've been jerked around by Council as much as me. As far as I'm concerned they owe us both big fat apologies AND some big fat paychecks! Has my application for recompense gotten any feedback at all?"  
  
"I'm afraid not," Giles said, quietly. "I've called numerous times and am consistently told that it's 'under consideration'."  
  
"Of course." Buffy's mouth thinned into a straight line. "What else would I expect."  
  
"Buffy...."  
  
"No. It's all right, Giles. I've really gotta go now," she added, as Nina tugged on the cord still babbling about proper business phone etiquette. "Call you back as soon as I can."  
  
She hung up the phone with a fierce look at the woman behind the desk. The Slayer's glare cut through Nina's tirade and shut her up for once.  
  
Buffy gave a sigh, then shook off her mood and plastered a smile on her face as she returned to her class of punching, tumbling ten-year-olds.  
  
**********  
  
Faith stood under the pounding spray of the shower and just appreciated the unlimited flow of hot water over her skin. Life was good. She fully intended to luxuriate in that shower until she'd emptied the last drop out of Summers' water heater. In the slammer, they'd been allowed five minutes to shampoo, clean body parts and shave whatever needed shaving. It wasn't relaxing. Besides which, in the shower room you wanted to keep on your guard even if you did have super strength and no one messed with you any more - just in case.  
  
She rested her forehead on the tile and watched the water swirl down the drain. She forced her mind blank. Whatever the Council was planning for her was out of her hands. She would just relax and go with it. Whatever Buffy and Company thought of her was also out of her hands. She could take any mistrust or hatred they threw at her. Didn't matter. She'd earned it.  
  
So there was no reason to worry or wonder what would happen next; where she would stay, what she would eat, what had happened to her new Watcher. Life would just happen and she would suck it up and deal with it like always.  
  
Funny thing was, coming back to Sunnydale, although she'd only spent a short time here once years ago, felt sort of like coming home. And the Scooby gang, even though she'd only known them briefly and not very well, felt familiar and....safe. Even Buffy's little sister and that Anya woman, both of whom she didn't know at all, seemed real nice. Well, it must just be the contrast between 'normal' and the hard-assed chicks in prison. There was no other explanation for it 'cause this wasn't her home and these certainly weren't her people.  
  
Faith sighed and turned the now lukewarm water off. She wrung out her hair, pulled back the shower curtain, and retrieved a towel. As she dried off, her mind drifted to what Willow had said, "Forgiveness." Why would anyone want to forgive her? Why would they want anything whatsoever to do with her? She suddenly flashed on Xander pushing a juice box toward her and Willow handing her Buffy's sandwich. And why in hell would they be nice to her? These people couldn't be for real.  
  
She wrapped herself in Buffy's terry robe and walked down the hall to her assigned room. The vampire looked up and nodded politely as she passed, then resumed reading the soccer magazine in his lap. Faith entered the bedroom and saw that Willow had lit several candles, which permeated the shaded room with a flowery scent. She smiled at this bit of thoughtfulness, then tossed herself down on the bed and was asleep in minutes.  
  
to be continued 


	4. 4

Going on Faith - chapter 4  
  
Faith awoke to full darkness, the scent of cooking wafting through the room, and a sharp rap on the door.  
  
"Slayer, you awake?" a growly British voice enquired.  
  
"Uh, yeah. Just a minute." Faith jumped from the bed, threw off her robe, and drew on her pants and a wrinkled but clean T from the duffel.  
  
"Willow's got dinner on. Come down when you're ready."  
  
In a few minutes Faith descended the stairs, the sounds of a beseeching Dawn and reprimanding Willow rising from the dining room.  
  
"Come ON. My room's good enough. And why does Buffy care what it looks like anyway? She doesn't have to live in it. It's MY room!! Spike, tell her it's okay."  
  
Willow's calm voice interrupted. "I'm just saying, Dawn. You know how Buffy is. You're the one that's going to have to deal with her when she sees your 'good enough'. Just start a load of laundry and that'll get rid of at least one of the piles."  
  
"Sweep everything into a drawer," Spike added, helpfully.  
  
""I'm seventeen not twelve! For God's sake, I'll be graduating next year. You'd think I could have a few square feet of this house to call my own and keep the way I like! If I wanna be a slob it's my prerogative. NO ONE's mom grounds them if they don't clean their room by the time they're my age. Buffy's insane. She's an anal-retentive bitch and she thinks she can micro-manage everyone's lives!"  
  
"Dawn!" Willow exclaimed.  
  
"Watch your mouth, Bit," Spike warned. "She may be an anal-retentive bitch but she's your sister. You respect her."  
  
"Oh my God, I don't know why I even try. Neither of you will ever stand against her. You're both so Buffy-whipped I..."  
  
"Enough," Spike snapped. "Just do the bloody work..."  
  
"You know she's trying, Dawn. She's trying to do things the way she thinks your mom would have," Willow interrupted.  
  
"Well then she's failing miserably, cause mom was never such a dictator. Slayer powers have gone to Buffy's head, and I think it's great that Faith's here to take over. Maybe being demoted will knock some humility into the mighty Slayer."  
  
Faith almost laughed out loud. She liked this Dawn kid.  
  
Just then the doorbell rang and the teen came barreling past Faith, who was poised at the foot of the stairs, to answer it.  
  
"I'll get it," the teen was saying. "....Oh! Hi, Faith!......It's probably Tim."  
  
"You're still not going anywhere till you finish your room," Willow called after her.  
  
The girl flung open the front door eagerly. "It's just Xander!" Dawn reported, disappointment in her voice.  
  
"And a good evening to you," he responded, coming in and taking his jacket off. "Am I too late for supper?"  
  
"Moocher." Dawn flipped her hair over her shoulder, as she turned on her heel and started toward the stairs. "I'm not hungry anymore, Will. Gonna finish my room before Tim gets here." She smiled quickly at Faith as she passed.  
  
The dark haired girl, blinked, and shook her head at the mercurial moods of a hormone-addled teenager. Then she looked up and caught Xander's puppydog eyes watching her.  
  
"Faith." He bobbed his head in greeting, a sudden flush rising from his neck and spreading up to his face. Was he blushing?!  
  
"Hey," she answered.  
  
"You get some rest?" he asked. "You look better."  
  
"Uh, yeah." Her stomach gave an unexpected rumbling growl. She smiled, sheepishly. "Guess I'm kinda hungry."  
  
"Then let's see what Willow's made for dinner. After you." He ushered her into the dining room.  
  
Willow presided at the table, serving out helpings of lasagna to Xander and Faith who sat on either side of her. Dawn's untouched place was on the left of Spike, who lounged in his chair at the foot of the table drinking very thick red liquid from a wine goblet. It might have been cognac.  
  
"Buffy called," Willow informed Faith as she passed her a plate. "She said Giles gave her a number for you to call to contact the Council. They want you to check in right away. John Macardle, your Watcher, left London, arrived in L.A. but never made it here. They want you to try to find out what happened to him."  
  
Faith nodded. "Figures. Makes my batting average with Watchers 3 and 0. The guy never left L.A., huh? Maybe he's just partying for awhile. You let those stuffy types get a taste of the nightlife and they cut loose. He'll probably show up here with the hangover from hell in a couple of days."  
  
Xander grinned at the mental image of a tweed-suited, spectacled Wesley- type bumping and grinding with the best of 'em at a trendy nightclub.  
  
"I don't know," he commented. "Watchers aren't known for their fun-lovin' ways."  
  
"Well, he took a rental car, so he probably made it at least partway here," Willow said. "I suppose we should scope out the local hotels and motels to see if he checked in anywhere."  
  
"Could check with police. See if the bloke got himself in an accident between here and there," Spike put in.  
  
They all sat silently for a moment, considering the needle-in-a-haystack task in front of them.  
  
"What's Buffy think of all this," Xander asked. "I mean, does the Council have a plan for her? What is she gonna do now?"  
  
Spike gave a disgusted snort and downed the rest of his drink in a gulp, then rose and began rummaging in the sideboard for the whiskey.  
  
"I don't know," Willow answered. "They were really vague, she said. Something about stationing her somewhere else for awhile....kind of a transition.....and eventually retirement. She's already the oldest Slayer.....ever."  
  
Faith laughed ironically, "What a great gig. If you live you can retire by 30."  
  
An awkward silence fell, disturbed only by the clink of silverware and the liquid sound of J&B being poured into a tumbler.  
  
"So, what's the plan for tonight," Xander asked, digging into his salad.  
  
"Hillside and north of town," Spike answered tersely.  
  
"What? You go in a group all the time?" the Slayer asked. "Summers needs someone to hold her hand?"  
  
"No. We meet, decide who's covering what area, then split up," Xander explained coolly, reigning in his rush of irritation.  
  
"Very democratic. 'There is no 'I' in 'teamwork'," Faith continued to tease.  
  
Spike glared and muttered. "Smart mouthed bint."  
  
"Well," Willow interrupted mildly, "Our system's been working for us for seven years. Buffy is still alive, and so are we so...we must be doing something right. There's nothing weak about having backup."  
  
"Sorry," Faith said. The witch was as sweet and polite as someone's grandma, but she sure knew how to put you in your place.  
  
"Good lasagna, Will," Xander tactfully changed the subject, forking up a mouthful.  
  
"Thanks! Oh. I almost forgot...garlic bread, too." Willow jumped up and went into the kitchen.  
  
Spike grabbed his glass, and headed toward the living room.  
  
"Not eating tonight, Spike?" Xander asked. "You don't wanna miss her garlic bread. I'll be sure and save you a piece for later."  
  
The vampire flipped him off as he exited the room.  
  
Faith watched the exchange with amusement.  
  
"Claims it gives him headaches," Xander explained, as Willow sat back down and passed around the hot buttered bread.  
  
********  
  
After the meal, Willow excused herself to work on a paper for school and Xander began clearing the table. Faith stood and wandered around the dining room a little, looking at the pictures and photos on the walls.  
  
"You want to carry some of this in the kitchen," he suggested.  
  
"Oh, right. Sure," Faith quickly gathered up some of the glasses and followed him to the kitchen. She continued to clear while he filled the sink with soapy water. He tossed a dishtowel to her, and before she knew it Faith the Vampire Slayer was engaged in housework. Since she'd lived most of her life on carry out food with disposable cartons, it was kind of a trip.  
  
"So...." she fished for a conversational thread. What did normal people talk about? "What's your day job, Ace?"  
  
"Construction."  
  
"Cool. Whaddaya build?"  
  
"Well, I started out just doing small jobs; additions, decks, garages and stuff. Now I'm in charge of a couple of crews working on the new office building downtown. Near apocalypses are a blessing for those of us in the building industry."  
  
"Yeah, you'd never be out of work in this town," Faith agreed, swirling her dishtowel around the inside of a glass.  
  
"The Magic Box alone could keep you busy year round. So, between the building and helping Buffy with the slaying, I keep myself occupied."  
  
It was on the tip of his tongue to say, 'And how 'bout you,' when again he remembered where Faith had spent the last two years. How could you ask someone how their prison time went? 'Was it everything you hoped it would be? Is it as gritty as the movies make it sound? Did you learn any new skills or make new friends?' Better to steer the conversation toward the future.  
  
"So, Faith, you looking forward to working on the hellmouth?" he lamely questioned.  
  
"You know me. Always enjoy a good fight."  
  
"Well, hopefully we can find this Macardle guy and get you started."  
  
Faith stretched up to put a bowl in the cupboard Xander indicated, and he took the opportunity to admire her long legs, tight rear, and the curve of waist and lower back revealed by the skimpy T-shirt she wore. Hmmm.  
  
"I don't know why I need a Watcher anyway. I'm fine on my own. Besides Buffy doesn't have one, and she's doing okay."  
  
"She has Giles, even if he's more back-in-England than on-site Giles these days. And she has all of us to help her. Dawn and Willow are whizzes at all the research, and Anya and Spike know more about demons and vampires than any Watcher."  
  
"What about you?" Faith turned questioning eyes toward him. "What do you do?"  
  
Ahh there was the million dollar question. 'What does Xander do?' Not the brain, not the muscle. Buffy had told him once he was the heart of their group, but what the hell did that mean? He was good with the jokey quips and the gung-ho optimism, but those were hardly bankable. What DOES Xander do?  
  
"I...ah...help with the research, and I can hold my own in the fighting. I mean, no superpowers of course, but....I've done my share."  
  
Faith sensed a little insecurity there and in the old days she'd have been on it like a terrier with a rat, but the new and improved Faith let the statement slide, nodding acceptance.  
  
"Sure. Plus, you're like Buffy's friend, right? And that's important."  
  
Xander shrugged, turning his attention to scraping the last pot.  
  
"Hey," Faith lowered her voice, confidentially. "What's with Blondie and this vampire? Last time I was in town it was all about Riley the Commando- Boy. Is she totally flipped out or what?"  
  
"That's what I ask myself every day. Believe me I tried to talk sense into her early on, but when Buffy seizes hold of something you can't budge her."  
  
"Well, I mean it's not like he's not hot, but...aren't we supposed to be killing these things, not screwing 'em?"  
  
"Exactly what I said!" Xander was enthusiastic, happy to have finally found someone who agreed with him on the subject. "E-except the part about Spike being hot...."  
  
"Besides, I thought B liked 'em tall and hulking. He's kinda scrawny. What's the scoop?"  
  
"Persistence I think," he answered. "I don't understand the whole relationship, but I gotta give the guy props for persistence. He was after Buffy for two years. He even went and got himself a soul but she still wouldn't have him. Then, in the big battle with the ancient Evil...well, even I have to admit the guy was pretty heroic. Anyway, next thing you know, they're an official.....ergh.... 'couple'. Makes my skin crawl, but what are you gonna do?"  
  
" 'Dis my guy and you dis me.' I get it. You can't pick your friends' lovers." Faith hung up the dishtowel and leaned against the counter. "What about Willow? She told me a little about her big meltdown. What's the rest of the story?"  
  
Xander grabbed a pair of mugs, filled them with tap water, and set them in the microwave. "Tara." He pressed a button, then pulled the instant coffee from the cupboard.  
  
"Oh yeah," Faith remembered. "That shy, new-agey chick at the Bronze. Seemed kinda mousy for Willow."  
  
"Well she wasn't," Xander said, shortly. "Mousy that is. Tara was quiet, but really....wise, you know? I think, first meeting her, we all underestimated her. But Willow saw it.....She was just....special." He trailed off.  
  
"Died?" Faith asked quietly.  
  
He nodded. "It was so pointless. There was this ridiculous trio of nerds plaguing Buffy all that year. They didn't really do anything too harmful at first, but by the end.....well, the leader, Warren, shot both Buffy and Tara. Willow sucked up all the black magic she could and went after him. It was....." He shook his head, and turned to prepare their coffee.  
  
"You stopped her didn't you," Faith said, even more softly. "She told me a friend saved her."  
  
"I just talked to her. Somebody had to do something. I was just lucky she listened."  
  
"Sounds like you do earn your keep around here," Faith remarked. "Loyalty counts for a helluva lot."  
  
Xander smiled slightly and handed her a cup of coffee.  
  
The kitchen door burst open and Spike appeared, sharp-eyed and chomping at the bit.  
  
"All right children. Hen party over? We've got places to be - demons to kill. Saddle up." He swirled out sucking all the energy of the room with him.  
  
"God, I hate when he's in his manic phase," Xander sighed, putting the coffee down.  
  
"Sounds like fun to me. I haven't had a good kick-ass since the riot over TV privileges in cell-block D," the Slayer grinned and swaggered jauntily out the door. Xander let her go first, enjoying her sexy strut from behind.  
  
As they went through the living room, Dawn announced to anyone who cared, "Tim's late! He's always late! I hate guys."  
  
"He'll get here, Dawn. He always does," Xander soothed.  
  
"Just make sure he's not late at the other end - the bringing you home part," Spike cautioned, then added as an afterthought. "Have fun."  
  
They grabbed jackets in the foyer, Faith wearing one of Dawn's, and headed out to protect Sunnydale from the evil creatures of the night.  
  
************** They met Buffy at the entrance to Hillside Cemetery where she sat on a headstone, twirling a stake absently in one hand.  
  
"Any action yet?" Xander asked as the trio reached their leader.  
  
"Naw. It's still kind of early." Buffy stared at Faith as she spoke, as if ready to attack if the other woman so much as looked at her cross-eyed. "Did you call the Council, yet?"  
  
"Damn! I forgot," Faith exclaimed. "Really," she insisted at Buffy's look. "We were eating dinner, then it was time to go. Totally blew it off." She shrugged, "Oh well."  
  
"It doesn't matter to me," Buffy hopped off the grave marker and sauntered over. "But with your history, you might want to stay on Council's good side - not that they have a good side. You're going to be their new girl here in Sunnydale, right?" She gave her counterpart another piercing stare and brushed past her.  
  
Spike captured Buffy's hand in his as she stopped by him. "Did you eat yet?" he asked.  
  
She nodded. "A yogurt. I'll have more later."  
  
"Now!" he said firmly, and produced a brown sack lunch from his coat pocket.  
  
Buffy sighed but complied, pulling out a bagel and starting to nibble. She poked around in the bag a little and whined, "Spike, you forgot my juice box!"  
  
Faith rolled her eyes at Xander, who shrugged.  
  
"So, let's get shakin'. What's your plan, B?" the younger Slayer asked, abruptly. "I'm getting jittery just standing around here."  
  
"I figured you and I could go look for those Kudur demons Spike heard about on the other side of town. Spike and Xander can take a routine sweep of the cemeteries. Meet at the Bronze in a couple of hours?"  
  
The two males exchanged a loaded look. Their mutual hatred had been banked like low-burning coals from necessity but was always ready to flare up at the slightest provocation. Patrolling together was near the bottom of their list of fun things to do on a Saturday night.  
  
"Well, pet," Spike ventured. "I'm the one most familiar with signs of Kudur demons. Maybe I should come with you and let Harris accompany your girl here."  
  
Buffy was unwilling to admit that she didn't want to let Faith out of her sight. Despite the Council's seal of approval she wasn't ready to trust her one-time nemesis. She looked at Faith speculatively, then summoned Xander with a jerk of her head.  
  
"Can I talk to you over there for a sec?"  
  
"Sure." Xander joined Buffy for a whispered consultation as the others turned away, examining headstones and pretending to be deaf for a few minutes.  
  
"How do you feel about that?" Buffy asked her friend. "Do you trust her? Are you comfortable taking her around? I mean, the skank did try to kill you once."  
  
"Hm...what are my choices again? An evening with my favorite dead guy or a hot chick with past homicidal tendencies. Guess I'll opt for the chick."  
  
"Well, I could send her with Spike, hunting for demons, and you and I could go together," Buffy considered.  
  
"It's okay, Buffy. I know demon-killing together is a standing Saturday night date for you two. Go. Have fun, you crazy kids. Don't stay out too late. I'll show Faith around town."  
  
"If you're sure." Buffy was still hesitant.  
  
"No problem," Xander insisted then lowered his voice even further. "I think....at least, I hope I'm right, but Faith seems changed to me. She's kind of subdued and sad-looking. I just feel like we don't have to worry about her." 'Of course, if I'm wrong I may be worm bait,' he mentally added.  
  
She cast a glance over her shoulder at the other Slayer and sighed. "Yeah. She's not so much the cocky, mouthy Faith we all know and despise." She grimaced in distaste, "Besides," she admitted, "Giles said 'Be nice. Give her a chance.' So I guess Buffy has to share the playground. Yuck." She gave a rueful grin.  
  
"All right," Buffy called to the others. "Faith, you and Xander will take the cemeteries. There haven't been too many vamps lately, but, as always, watch your backs. We'll see you in a couple of hours."  
  
to be continued 


	5. 5

Thanks to all who have been reviewing chapters. It helps me keep writing, knowing there's an audience. Also, sorry to Steve for mentioning the dreaded Spuffy again, but they're an integral part of the story so....  
  
Going on Faith - Chapter 5  
  
Faith and Xander walked silently side by side. It was a cool night, clear and sprinkled with stars. A stiff breeze had risen at sunset and gusted around the tombstones, creeping through their clothes and chilling their bones.  
  
"This is nuts. There's nothing stirring in this town tonight." Xander shivered. "Damn, it'll be nice to get to the Bronze and something hot to drink."  
  
"Or a shot of scotch," Faith agreed, pulling Dawn's jacket tighter around her thin frame. "Third cemetery and still no action? I don't think you need a Slayer in this town at all." Suddenly she put her hand on Xander's arm, stopping him. "Sshhh. Listen."  
  
A rustling, snuffling sound came from the bushes to their left. They lifted their weapons - Xander hefting an ax and Faith armed with a trusty stake - and edged toward the noise. A quiet growling and continued rustling of the undergrowth made the hair rise on the construction worker's neck. Didn't matter how many times they trudged through cemeteries and faced down unearthly beasties, his adrenaline always surged as it had the first time he'd ever seen a vampire.  
  
He supposed that's what kept you alive, the heart-pounding, sweat-pouring willies, but he could swear it was carving his life off in inches. He'd wake some morning and find his hair prematurely gray. Meanwhile, Faith looked lit up from within - eager and vibrating with energy as she crept toward her target. She looked like a sleek panther with her dark hair and black leather pants. Admittedly, Dawn's frayed jean jacket with the hand- painted peace signs and happy faces took away from the image, but still...  
  
A blur of brown and gray burst from the bushes before them. The monster leaped on Xander and knocked him to the ground before he could even think to swing the ax he held. He let out a little cry of alarm before the thing began devouring his face....no, wait, it was actually....licking his face. Through the pounding of his heart and the rush of blood in his ears he could hear Faith laughing. Laughing?!  
  
The beast leaped off as suddenly as it had attacked and began running in excited circles around him. Xander sat up, wiping dog slobber off his face and trying to regain some modicum of dignity, while Faith continued to chuckle.  
  
"Damn, I almost staked the little sucker." She reached out a hand to help Xander to his feet, the dog leaping against her legs all the while. "Hey, back off, Fido!" She kicked him away gently, but the wiry haired animal was immune to rebuffs. He pranced in and out, between and around the couple, barking blissfully.  
  
"No brain, no pain," Xander commented, ruffling the dog's fur. "No collar. Must belong to somebody, though, 'cause he sure is friendly." The animal was medium sized and of indeterminate origin, though the wiry coat indicated some terrier in its lineage.  
  
"Hey, guy, go on home now," the young man scolded. The canine panted cheerfully, showing no intention of leaving, and Xander spoke a little more sternly, "Go!"  
  
"Jeez. Don't yell at him!" Faith protested.  
  
"I didn't..."  
  
"Just ignore him, maybe he'll go away." The Slayer started walking again, more briskly this time, and her partner fell into step beside her...so did their new buddy. After a few moments of following them, the dog's ears pricked and it went barking off after some small animal or leaf that attracted its attention. The pair picked up their pace hoping to lose their furry companion, but the dog soon caught up and began bounding in circles around them again.  
  
"Great. We're not going to see any action tonight this way," Xander complained.  
  
"Relax. Vamps'll just think we're a pair of yuppies out walking our dog and not paying any attention. We look like perfect targets."  
  
The young man looked doubtfully at his battered corduroy coat and Faith's faux sixties jacket, not to mention the ax he held in one hand. "Uh, I don't think anyone is gonna take us for yuppies."  
  
A sudden roar in his ear almost deafened him and Xander found himself knocked to the ground for the second time in ten minutes. He felt a choke- hold grip on his neck and reflexively pushed against the attacking body with his left arm while feeling around in the grass for his weapon with his other hand. He strained with all his might to push the creature off him, flashes of light zinging through his steadily darkening vision, as he slowly lost consciousness.  
  
Dimly aware of the sounds of another fight raging nearby, Xander realized he couldn't count on Faith for help and continued to grope for his ax. The vamp above him snarled and dove for his exposed neck with its greedy fangs just as his fingers touched smooth wood - ax handle, good. He gripped it weakly and banged the head against his opponent's shoulder barely hard enough to shake loose the death grip on his throat. But a little was good enough, and he was able to gasp in a couple of breaths, sufficient to focus him again.  
  
Xander took a firmer grip on the ax and beat again at the heavy body that pressed him down. The vamp seemed surprised at being challenged and actually pulled back for a split second - long enough for the construction worker to flip his attacker off and slither out from underneath. He crab- scuttled backward on the ground, as the vampire rose over him and lunged again.  
  
From the corner of his eye he saw Faith engaged in furious duel with a scraggly haired vamp that looked like a death-camp refugee or a heroin addict. The thing fought like a viper though and had the Slayer backed against a crypt. With a quick leap and kick at its chest, Faith regained the advantage.  
  
Xander's attention snapped back to his own opponent. He wielded his ax to intercept the vampire's lunge and was rewarded with a satisfying crunch of bone on blade as the vamp impaled itself. The attacker staggered back, the ax dangling from its ribcage. Damn! Missed the heart.  
  
Suddenly a yapping ball of fury launched itself at the vamp's leg. Evidently Fido had decided to weigh in on the side of good. The dog's teeth were currently buried in undead flesh and he was shaking his head from side to side growling, while the monster tried to simultaneously kick him off and remove the embedded ax blade from his side. Xander reached in to help, wrenching the ax out of his opponent's grip and its body and leaping to his feet for another assault.  
  
He drew back the weapon then let fly with a mighty swing. The ax whistled through the air and cleanly cleaved the head right off the vampire's shoulders. A shower of dust marked Xander's kill and left the dog sneezing and confused, as its jaws snapped shut on nothing but dust motes.  
  
Xander stood a moment, panting and exchanging a bemused look with the Canine Avenger, then he turned his attention to Faith's battle to see if he could lend a hand.  
  
It quickly became apparent that the Slayer was toying with her victim. She spun, kicked, feinted, and punched with lightning speed, but it was all teasing. She would wait, poised, while the skeletal vampire regained his bearings after rushing her and missing, then she'd dance in to land a series of blows that practically rocked him off his feet. Xander appreciated her moves, but was a little pissed she hadn't curtailed her playtime and come to his rescue when he'd been this close to having two new piercings he hadn't paid for on his neck.  
  
"Anytime now, Faith," he called, tapping his watch impatiently.  
  
"Sure thing, Andy," she returned with a grin, then addressed her opponent. "Sorry, pal, workout's over." She impaled him with a neat twist of her wrist, sidestepped the dust shower and turned to face Xander shaking her hair back "Whew that felt great!! It's been too long."  
  
The dog bounded over and jumped against her, his tongue lolling crazily out of one side of his mouth. Faith grabbed his head in both hands and tousled his fur. "Was it good for you, too? Did you have fun biting the bad vampire? Yeah, that's a good dog." She pushed the animal back down and sauntered over to Xander.  
  
"Nice kill, Harris. You did Buffy proud. I don't remember you being so..forceful back in the day. You got some real nice moves."  
  
"Well, you know, you live on the hellmouth long enough, you pick up some interesting skills..or die." Xander rested the ax head on the ground and leaned against the handle. He felt something trickling down the side of his face and lifted his hand to his forehead. It came away smeared with blood. He wiped it on the side of his coat.  
  
"Here. Let me look at that." Faith moved even closer and reached up to touch the gash he had accrued during the battle, probably with the rebound of his own weapon. For just a moment he felt her lean into him ever so slightly as she balanced on the balls of her feet, then she placed her other hand on the back of his neck and drew him down to her level. Palming away the gush of red, she could see the cut wasn't long or deep, just bloody.  
  
"I hope the kid wasn't too fond of the jacket," she remarked as she stripped it off and began dabbing at the gash with the sleeve. "It's this or my shirt."  
  
Xander swallowed, picturing a topless Faith tending his wound, and held very still just enjoying her warm hand on his neck and her uptilted face, so close, frowning slightly as she cleaned him up. His downcast eyes got a good view of the front of her T-shirt and the topography the cold breeze was creating there.  
  
Then, abruptly, the intimate mood shattered. He flashed back to another time when Faith's hand had wrapped around his neck, tight....tighter....thumbs pressed into his throat, cutting off oxygen. Her face had been this close - closer even, as she hissed all the things she could do to him and he was powerless to resist. It had been a twisted mix of incredibly erotic and horribly frightening, and was not a memory Xander wanted to revisit - ever. He shifted uncomfortably under her touch and Faith felt it. For just a moment their eyes held, recognition and remembrance passing between them, then the girl pulled away, her hand dropping from his face like it was burned.  
  
"There. Good as new," she said briskly, stepping back and eyeing her work critically. "It's still oozing a little, but you can wash up in the john at the Bronze. Nobody'll notice. Nobody notices much of anything in this town." She slipped back into the bloodstained jacket, fussing with the buttons so she wouldn't have to face him again.  
  
"Thanks," he managed to croak out, his brain still swimming in a soup of fear, lust, anger, revulsion and...was it, curiosity?  
  
"No problemo." She hesitated then added, "Uh, sorry I was dicking around when you were kind of in trouble over there."  
  
"I handled it," Xander said, shortly. "No big."  
  
"Enough slaying for tonight. Let's get inside." Faith shivered and pulled the jacket more firmly around her as a stronger gust of wind whirled past them pushing a flurry of leaves before it.  
  
"You don't have to ask me twice." He paused, looking down at the dog, which was now snuffling and digging at a mole hole. "What are we going to do about our friend here?"  
  
"Walk fast and hope he gets distracted by something else?"  
  
They cleared out of the graveyard and were soon on the sidewalk headed downtown, the scruffy gray and brown dog trailing at their heels.  
  
********* Entering the noise and warmth and press of humanity, which was the Bronze on a Saturday night, was like entering the portals of heaven. There wasn't a table to be had so the pair pushed their way through the crowd to the bar, snagged a pair of beers and found a place to lean against one of the support columns scattered throughout the interior. Xander had just taken a long draught of frothy goodness when Faith pounded him on the arm, sloshing half the mug.  
  
"Couch! Go! Quick!" she commanded, steering him toward an actual piece of sittable furniture just vacated by a trio of giggling girls. The warriors collapsed gratefully side by side and rested their heads against the back of the couch. Faith removed her bloody jacket and tossed it next to her to save the rest of the precious seating for the others.  
  
"Good eye," Xander commented as he took another swig of his beer.  
  
"Lotsa practice," Faith answered. She took a look around the room and rolled her eyes at the band of choice for the evening. "God, this place hasn't changed."  
  
"Naw. Same old Bronze."  
  
"Don't you ever want to try something new?"  
  
"I stop over at Larry's on Third Street about every day. That's where the guys on my crew go for a beer after work. But whenever Buffy wants us to meet somewhere, well..it's always the Bronze or the Magic Box. It's not like there's a lot of night life in this town anyway."  
  
"Guess not. Hey, isn't that B's kid sister over there?"  
  
Xander looked up to see Dawn standing next to her tall boyfriend, who was valiantly trying to get them a coffee at the espresso bar. She was scanning the crowd and waving at some of her friends, when her eyes met Xander's. Instantly her bright smile dimmed. She frowned and shook her head, tugging at Tim's arm and shouting something to him above the din as she gestured toward Xander and Faith. He nodded and continued to press his way toward the bar. Dawn slipped through the crowd until she stood in front of the couple on the couch.  
  
"So, is this senior discount night or something?" she asked snidely. "I keep telling Buffy you guys have gotta find a new place to hang. I mean, look around you. Do you see anyone else pushing thirty around here? Jeez!"  
  
"Pushing thirty?! Hey..!" Xander protested, thinking 'I'm only 23 - and feeling all of 50 tonight the way every muscle in my body aches.'  
  
"You are SO cramping my style." Dawn flopped down on the couch next to Faith, picking up her jacket as she did so. "And, hey, is this blood?!!!"  
  
"Yeah. Sorry about that. I'll wash it out."  
  
Dawn shook her head in disgust at the ruin of her jacket. "Nothing takes blood out. I've wrecked enough clothes slaying to know that by now."  
  
"You slay?" Faith asked, eyeing the teenager curiously.  
  
"Sometimes." Dawn shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant but obviously proud of her abilities. "I mean, everyone had to help out last year, and Buffy finally figured out it was better for me to be able to protect myself than to try to Rapunzel me into a tower somewhere. So, yeah, she taught me some stuff."  
  
"All right." Faith grinned and high-fived the younger girl. "You go, chica."  
  
"But Dawn really shines when it comes to the research," Xander put in. "She's even more of a computer whiz than Willow."  
  
"You just don't want me out in the field," Dawn said without rancor. "Good old, big brother Xander." She changed the subject, "So where's Buffy and Spike? Please tell me they're not coming here, too. It's such a thrill for my friends to have a faux-guidance counselor around all evening. Thank God she lost that job when the school blew up again!"  
  
"They'll be here any time now."  
  
"Great! Then I'll be gone," Dawn grumped. "Oh, Tim's got our coffee." She jumped up and dismissed Faith and Xander with a wave of her hand, "See ya, guys," and was off.  
  
"Funny, kid. I like her," the Slayer commented.  
  
"Yeah. She gives us a lot of crap, but she's a good girl. And after all she's been through, living in this town, she always seems pretty happy," Xander paused. "You know, Faith, I'm glad you came. Buffy should get her out of here! No kid should have to grow up like we did. I want Dawn out of this."  
  
Faith was silent for a minute thinking of the part she herself had played in making Sunnydale a hellhole to live in. She opened her mouth intending to make some sort of apology, but the words stuck in her throat. It wasn't that she wasn't sorry or ready to admit her fault, but anything she could say seemed so inadequate. She opted for a flip retort as usual.  
  
"You got that right, and I'm all primed and ready to take the job. Now you just have to convince Summers to let go." Faith slapped her knee, "Shit!! I still haven't called the Council. Blondie's right. I don't want to start out on their bad side. Now where'd I put that number?"  
  
Xander was interested to find out if leather pants had pockets and, if not, where Faith might have tucked a slip of paper on her person, but she ended up retrieving the number from Dawn's jacket pocket. She downed the rest of her beer and with a "here goes nothing" attitude, went to find the pay phone.  
  
Xander leaned his head against the back of the couch again. He only meant to rest his eyes for a minute, but must have drifted off, because he was suddenly jerked awake by someone kicking his leg.  
  
"Hey, shove over. Make some room." Xander didn't have to open his eyes to identify the annoying British drawl. He shifted reluctantly and felt a body plop down next to him. A tang of fresh air, sweat and some flowery perfume let him know it was Buffy.  
  
"What happened to you?" she asked with concern, reaching over to touch his forehead.  
  
"Zigged when I should have zagged," he said, opening one eye to catch a glimpse of her worried frown. "Looks worse than it is."  
  
Then both eyes flew open as he took in the bedraggled pair. "I guess you found the Kudur demons."  
  
Buffy finger-combed her curls and tsked over the long tear down the sleeve of her coat.  
  
"We took out a nest of 'em," Spike acknowledged. "Drink, pet?" he asked, running a hand over Buffy's rumpled hair.  
  
"Mm, just water, and see if you can dig up a menu too, please. I'm starving." She smiled as she watched him go, then turned to Xander questioning, "Where's Faith?"  
  
"On the phone," he explained. "Checking in with the Council."  
  
She nodded. "How did it go this evening?"  
  
"Three cemeteries, only two vamps."  
  
"It's weird how quiet it is lately. I don't like it. Makes me feel like something's brewing. Plus, boring! Tonight's the first good action I've gotten in weeks....so to speak," she blushed as looked at Spike across the room.  
  
"Who's getting action?" Faith's voice interrupted as she joined them, perching on the arm of the couch by Xander.  
  
Buffy's face instantly closed down at the sight of her former nemesis. "Kudur demons," she said, shortly. "Did you get ahold of Council? What do they want you to do?"  
  
"Yeah. Got an earful for not checking in earlier, but I told 'em I was already hard at work here in Sunnydale. They want me to try to track down this Macardle guy. I don't know why they can't send someone else to do it. I'm a slayer not a detective."  
  
"We can help you," Xander reassured. "Willow said she'd check all the local inns and motels, and we'll try and find if that car's been found abandoned or stolen. You don't have to figure it out on your own."  
  
This time Faith didn't deny her need for assistance, but simply nodded agreement.  
  
Buffy tried to pin a friendly smile on her face per Giles' orders. "He's right. We'll help you any way we can."  
  
"Thanks for putting me up at your house tonight," Faith mumbled. "They'll be wiring me some cash tomorrow, but I would've had to sleep on a park bench or something tonight....so, thanks."  
  
"The Council is wiring you money?!" Buffy's voice grew sharp as a razor and the smile slid away like grease from a griddle. "Like a paycheck money? Like a stipend for slaying that Giles hasn't been able to get for me after four years of trying?!"  
  
"I don't know. Not a paycheck, I guess. I just told 'em I didn't have a cent and the gal said they would wire me some cash and told me where to pick it up."  
  
Buffy nodded. "Of course. Why not?" She flopped back into a corner of the couch, scowling.  
  
Faith looked at her, shrugged, then poked Xander in the shoulder. "Hey, I took a look outside and guess who's still waiting for you."  
  
"You've got to be kidding."  
  
"Nope. Looks like you got a new roommate."  
  
"I'm not taking that beast home," he protested.  
  
"What beast?" Buffy asked, shaking off her foul mood with an effort.  
  
"Xander's got himself a little doggie," Faith explained. "Come on, Harris, you can't leave the poor guy out in the cold all night. Besides, he loooves you."  
  
"Not doing it," he said, emphatically. "No dogs allowed."  
  
Spike drifted up just then with drinks for Buffy and himself and another beer for Xander. When he saw Faith, he surrendered his whiskey to her.  
  
"Thanks." She gulped it gratefully, though she still eyed the vampire with suspicion and doubt. He stationed himself beside Buffy, leaning on the couch and perusing the menu over her shoulder.  
  
"Whaddya think? Potato skins and a salad?" she asked.  
  
"Why do you even ask for a menu, love? You always order the same thing."  
  
"You never know. I might want something different some time. Anyway, I like to look at the pictures." She reached up behind her and gave him a playful punch. He grabbed her hand and bit lightly on the knuckles.  
  
"Well, you can track down your own waitress. I'm not doin' it for you, AND order me a drink while you're at it."  
  
Buffy just smiled, complacently, knowing that she wouldn't have to move from her spot all evening and her will would still be done.  
  
"Ookay," Xander said, his stomach turning at the display of affection. "You know what? I'll go place an order for you 'cause....ergh." He jumped up.  
  
"Me too." Faith tossed back the rest of her drink like a pro and rose to follow him.  
  
"Oh, by the way," Xander turned and was further icked out at the sight of Spike nuzzling Buffy's neck while she rested her hand on his cheek, "Dawn's around here somewhere so, if you don't want to humiliate her in front of her friends, you might want to....I don't know, maybe save it for the BEDROOM!"  
  
He was rewarded by the sound of Buffy's laughter as he and Faith walked away. It was a sound he'd heard precious little of during the past couple of years, and Xander was reminded of why it was worth it to put up with the not-so-evil undead guy. Plus, a free beer - you couldn't fault Spike for lack of generosity...with Buffy's money.  
  
Xander actually was able to snag a waitress and place an order right away, and he and his partner for the evening were pushing their way through the crush by the dance floor, when Faith tugged on his arm.  
  
"Hey, Ace, wanna dance?" she shouted at him above the din.  
  
"Uh..." This evening he wanted to dance about as much as he wanted bone cancer. His body was aching, his head hurt, and besides, he just wasn't very good at it and didn't feel like doing the white man shuffle in front of sexy, I'm-too-hot-for-my-clothes, Faith. "....sure."  
  
They waded into the press of bodies, pulsing to some electronic techno tune. Xander swayed half-heartedly back and forth, while Faith slunk around him - again like a jungle cat. It wasn't fair for God to pack that much sex appeal into one person, leaving a shortage for the fat, the balding, the acne-riddled or verbally challenged masses.  
  
The dark haired girl pressed against him, hips swaying seductively, and held him with her eyes. He could see her full, pouty lips moving but couldn't hear a word. For the second time that evening she slipped a hand around his neck and pulled him down to where her mouth could almost press against his ear.  
  
"Loosen up!" was the message.  
  
He loosened.  
  
She took his hands and rested them on her hips, then slid her own hands up his belly to his chest and let him feel the rhythm flowing from her gyrating body to his. He let his eyes drift closed a little, the two beers helping with the relaxing, and began to let go. The beat, the heat, and the girl filled his senses and Xander danced.  
  
***********  
  
From her seat on the couch, Buffy leaned against Spike and watched the dancers, specifically a dark-haired pair, who were sinuously twining around each other. This was NOT the way Xander danced! Ever! What the hell was Faith up to? That girl was sex on two legs and could only be trouble for him. Xander couldn't handle someone like Faith, and if she thought she could use him and lose him like last time.....well, Buffy would put a stop to it. No toying with Xander this time around, big sister Buffy would see to it.  
  
to be continued  
  
(Ever wonder why these guys have to stick their noses into each other's business all the time - trying to 'protect' each other?) 


	6. 6

Going on Faith - Chapter 6  
  
Xander woke up an inch from the edge of the bed. A warm body pressed up against his back and with a little snuffle pushed him even closer to falling out. He pushed back hard and yanked at the blanket, which was barely covering him.  
  
It was all Buffy's fault. "Oooh the poor little dog," she said. "You have to take him home, Xander. You need a companion! And just look at him. Look at his wittle face. He's so cute. Yes he is. Yes he is."  
  
If the wittle dog was so cute, why wasn't it living at Buffy's house right now and shoving her - or better yet, Spike - out of bed? Xander sighed and gave another pull on the blanket, making the dog whine and roll over. Great, more covers, but now the dog's rough paw pad was resting on Xander's ear.  
  
He gave up and closed his eyes tight, trying to ease back into the dream he'd been enjoying as he slept in on this fine Sunday morning. Something about dancing and naked bodies..yeah, naked bodies, good... The phone rang.  
  
"Rrrff! Rrrfff!" The dog leaped up, barking.  
  
Xander whacked at it, "Shut up, mutt!" and scrambled for the phone. "Hello?"  
  
"Good morning, Sunshine? You coming over for breakfast?" Willow's chipper voice grated like fingernails on a chalkboard.  
  
"Will, in all the years we've been friends, have you ever known me to get up before.." He glanced at the clock, "eleven o'clock on a weekend?"  
  
"Sorry," she said, not sounding dampened in the least. "Well, when you're ready come on over. Croissants and computers. Dawn and I are cracking into police reports to try and find the missing vehicle, and we've already compiled a list of places to contact around Sunnydale to see if Macardle checked in anywhere. That's your assignment."  
  
"All right, you I can understand, but Dawn's a relatively normal teenage girl. You're telling me she's up and at 'em already?"  
  
"Hey, Xander," Dawn's voice echoed tinnily letting him know they were on speakerphone. "Get your butt out of bed. It's a gorgeous day, and if you hadn't gotten yourself plastered last night you'd have some ambition to get up and enjoy it!"  
  
"Dawn."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Shut up." He smiled as he hung up the phone.  
  
Laying there, staring at the ceiling and listening to the dog pant in his ear, he thought about the previous night at the Bronze. He hadn't really gotten wasted, but with another few beers, a couple of shots and a LOT of slow dancing with Faith - it had been a pretty fun evening. Memorable. Man, life could turn on a dime and surprise you. He never would have guessed yesterday morning that in 24 hours time he'd be reacquainted with a beautiful, if kind of frightening, woman and sleeping with..he turned his head and inhaled rancid breath..a dog.  
  
Xander jumped out of bed and padded to the bathroom. Time to see what another 24 hours would bring.  
  
************  
  
Faith sat on a chair in the corner, her eyes glazed over, chewing on a hangnail. She winced as another gale of laughter broke out from the pair huddled over their computer terminals. What the hell kind of drugs were these babes on, anyway? No one got that kind of a kick out of reading police reports about John Does and abandoned cars. And what exactly the hell was she supposed to be doing to help? Couldn't they have waited until they had something for her to do before dragging her out of bed? She noticed no one had even mentioned Queen Buffy getting her scrawny butt over here. No. Precious was too busy bonking her undead boyfriend to be disturbed.  
  
Faith sighed, picked a piece off her croissant and crumbled it. "S'okay," she told herself. "Just be glad you're out of the hole and go with the flow." It's not like she wasn't grateful - extremely grateful - to be here and to be treated so well by this group of people she had, let's face it, tried to kill on occasion. But the camaraderie and goddamn cheerfulness were starting to get to her. After over three years of self imposed solitude, it was just overwhelming. She was itching to be off on her own again.  
  
Last night, now, that had been fun. A little battle, a little booze and a warm body to press up to. These were things Faith could wrap her mind around. Of course, she could've done with a little more body pressing than what she got on the dance floor, but still, it was nice. Felt sexy and good and it was a long, long time since she'd felt those things.  
  
The girl smiled bitterly at her thoughts. Yeah, not since she'd boffed Buffy's soldier boy, and that not even in her own body, had she felt all womanly. Her own five digits had seen her through these last few years, but though they were handy (pun intended) they hardly brought the same pleasure a good hard screw could.  
  
She glanced up quickly, almost afraid that super-witch Willow could read her mind, but, no, the pair still had their noses practically embedded in one of the two computer screens. "Have you tried this?" "Oh, coool. I didn't know you could..." "Wow. Look at that list of offenders." "I can't believe they don't have better security. Some of this information is.." "Willow, did you see CSI last week? That's what I want to do someday." "You'd be good at it. You really have an eye for details."  
  
Faith yawned and closed her eyes, slipping under the waves of chatter like a drowning woman and drifting off to sleep.  
  
************* "That's it!" Dawn's excited cry, wrenched her out of a dream about hands. There was something about trying on gloves that didn't fit, big woolly gloves that made it hard to hold her stake, and a nauseating feeling of something unfinished and very important that she was supposed to do. Faith snapped awake with a "Huh?"  
  
"Look! Look! Look!" Dawn was pointing at her screen and Willow leaned over to see. "Who's good? Oh yeah! That's me. Uh-huh." Dawn sing- songed, as she did a little chair dance.  
  
"You got it!" Willow agreed. "'99 Ford Concord LX, dark gray, no license plate, found in a ravine off Parris Rd. Some hikers reported it..wow, just this morning. No papers, no driver, no id at all."  
  
"That's the make and model Macardle rented, but with the license plate removed.. Not a good sign. Something bad's happened to your Watcher."  
  
Faith had joined them and was peering over Dawn's shoulder at the information. Against her nature she deferred to their obvious research authority, "Um. is there anything I can do? Start asking around at the Marriott or something?"  
  
"Oh, we've already covered that," Dawn enthused. "See, last night Willow compiled a list of all the places he could have possibly stayed in Sunnydale from the best hotel to the cheapest dive and every bed and breakfast in between, and this morning we started calling." Dawn dropped her voice to a husky tone. "Hello. Can you please connect me to Mr. John Macardle's room. No. I'm not sure of the number. He would've checked in yesterday, or maybe the day before...No guest by that name? Well, thank you very much. He must have given me the wrong hotel."  
  
"Worked like a charm most of the time. Now we just have a short list of places to check out in person. Places where they wouldn't give out information over the phone. It seems like most of the better hotels were booked solid because of the U.C. Sunnydale/Baskin U. football game."  
  
"As soon as Xander gets here, we can split up," Willow decided. "Dawn and I'll go to the crash scene and see if we can find something the police overlooked. Maybe there's a sign of the supernatural - demon spawn or something. Meanwhile, you and Xander can go to these motels, some of them are quite a way out of town, and try to check out their registers. Maybe one of you can be a distraction, while the other takes a look." Willow looked up at Faith, "uh..that is, if it's okay with you. I mean, you're the Slayer."  
  
"Sure. Whatever you think," Faith conceded. "I'm a killer not a planner. Big kudos for you two finding out all this stuff! I wouldn't have known where to begin."  
  
A knock sounded at the door, and Xander entered without waiting for a "Come in."  
  
"Hey, all."  
  
The dog raced into the room ahead of him and ran straight to Faith, who gave him a quick pat on the head. Dawn, however, fell to her knees beside the canine and gave him big kisses and cuddles.  
  
"Oh, aren't you a good, good dog," she cooed. "Xander, what you gonna name him? How about Rufus? That's cute. Or.." She rattled off a list of possibilities.  
  
"Good morning! Grab some breakfast? I've got croissants and oranges." Willow gestured at a plate on the table, set out next to a basket of fresh fruit.  
  
"Uh, no thanks, I brought doughnuts," Xander grinned sheepishly, as he produced the box.  
  
"Doughnuts!" Dawn was up like a shot, abandoning the dog, with Faith on her heels. They both dove for the box and pawed through the pastries like ravening wolves.  
  
Willow pouted. "But I have croissants.....! Bananas, too."  
  
"Sorry, Will," Dawn spoke around a mouthful of custard filled Long John. "Need more sugary goodness if we're going to be trekking around all over town today."  
  
The redhead sighed and pressed 'Print' on her computer before joining them and snagging the fattest jelly doughnut she could find.  
  
***********  
  
Xander parked under the weathered neon sign proclaiming this the "Sleep Tite Inn". As he locked the car, he hoped Rufus wouldn't tear up the upholstery while they were carrying out their mission. The dog's yapping was muffled by the closed door, but its worried face was slobbering up the window, and Xander felt fairly certain it would keep right on barking the whole time they were gone.  
  
"Okay, tell me again what I'm supposed to say. I'm terrible at undercover stuff. Now if you'd just ask me to go in there and smash the guy up against the wall until he gives us the information...that I could handle."  
  
"No smashing, Faith. Misdirection....like a magic trick. You're the fussy Mrs. who wants to check out a room before we commit to staying there. I'm the annoyed hubby waiting for you. The moment you get the clerk away from the desk, I'm in like Flint."  
  
"Whatever." Faith sauntered ahead of him with such an air of long- suffering boredom that it was easy to play annoyed. Things had been pretty awkward between them all morning once they no longer had Dawn and Willow as a buffer. It was hard to believe this prickly bitch was the same woman who had been on him like paint on a wall last night. Obviously flirting and fondling were nixed in the light of day. Well hell, what had he expected, anyway? It was only dancing.  
  
Xander put on what he hoped was a 'patient husband' face and followed Faith into the office of the very seedy motel that was their first stop on Willow's list. The place was 20 minutes off the nearest highway and Xander couldn't imagine what would lure anyone, especially a snobby Watcher-type, miles out of his way to stay here. It was obviously a haven for trysting couples and drug deals and not much else.  
  
One look at the operator of this fine establishment had the banjo theme from "Deliverance" playing in Xander's head. A scrawny, balding man, face seamed with wrinkles, stared at them from behind the counter with the empty eyes of a snake.  
  
"Good morning," Xander greeted, coming up behind Faith and resting a hand on her lower back in a proprietary gesture.  
  
Bubba scratched the stubble on his chin and continued to gaze at them blankly.  
  
"Sign says you have rooms available," Faith prompted helpfully.  
  
"Yup."  
  
"What's your rate?"  
  
"Ten bucks an hour. Cash only."  
  
"You rent by the hour!"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"Oh. Well, um....," Xander was losing momentum. There was no way John Macardle would've stayed in a god-forsaken crapper like this.  
  
"Let me see the room first," Faith spoke her line in as stilted a manner as a child reciting in a school play.  
  
"Yeah. My girlfriend here is kinda fussy," Xander covered with a weak laugh. "Can you show her one of the rooms, while I, um, wait here?"  
  
The clerk stared, mouth slightly open and (Could it actually be? Yes it was.) drool pooling at one corner.  
  
"Blink once for yes, twice for no," the young man couldn't help but quip. When in doubt, jokey inanities fell like rain from his lips.  
  
"Ya want the room?" the man finally spoke.  
  
"I don't know. Depends on the number of fleas. Now are you gonna show me one or what?" Faith snarled.  
  
The clerk and Faith engaged in a High Noon stare-down for several seconds, while Xander nervously tried to smooth things over.  
  
"Hey, buddy. You know how it is. We just want some alone time, but, uh, Doris here wants to make sure our little love nest is, ah, suitable. So, can you just humor her....please?"  
  
The man sighed and reached for a key from the pegboard on the wall. Wafting on a breeze of sour sweat, he led the way from the room. Faith shot Xander a quick thumbs up behind his back as she followed him out.  
  
The moment the door closed, Xander leaped behind the counter and grabbed up the grimy, black covered register there. He flipped pages, noting the preposterous number of John and Mary Smiths signed in. Why did they even bother to take names at all?  
  
Then suddenly it caught his eye. In neat sloping script - Mr. John Macardle - and the date, only two nights ago! What had possessed him to spend the night here? Guy must have been exhausted from driving. And what in Sunnydale had stolen the Watcher away? Demon? Vampire? Human? Was he still alive? Being held ransom? Or had he disappeared permanently the way so many did in this town?  
  
Xander quickly noted the room number, slammed the book shut and screamed out loud at the ghostly pale little girl who suddenly stood before him. She peered up at him through crossed eyes, while mining her nose with an index finger. He let out a somewhat hysterical giggle, as he backed around to the other side of the counter.  
  
"Hiya, honey. You gave me a scare. I didn't hear you come in. Is that your grandpa...er...dad who runs the place?"  
  
The kid silently followed him around the counter, now snacking on the salty treasure she had dug out of her nasal cavity, but never losing eye contact.  
  
"Well, you're a quiet one. What's your name?" Xander continued to babble under her slate-eyed regard. "Oh. Your daddy probably told you not to talk to strangers, and he's right. Especially in this town. So, you probably shouldn't be out here. Why don't you go back..wherever it is you came from and wait for your dad there?"  
  
The girl's little mouth dropped open and Xander waited.and waited..for her to speak, discovering that it was possible for drooling to be hereditary. Finally a thin, high-pitched voice broke loose from her little chest.  
  
"You got sumpin' to eat?" she asked.  
  
"Uh, no. No candy or..or gum," he answered.  
  
"I'm hungry."  
  
"Well.....sorry. I don't have anything." Xander searched his coat pockets and felt a lint covered lump. "No. Wait. Actually..." He reached his hand out, offering an ancient peppermint, long since out of its cellophane wrap.  
  
The girl lunged greedily, her tiny, sharp fingernails raking his hand as she grabbed the sweet. He pulled back quickly. Popping the candy into her mouth, the child frowned in frustration.  
  
"No!" She spit the peppermint out onto the floor. "I'm HUNGRY," she explained patiently, advancing toward Xander, who automatically stepped back from her reptilian stare.  
  
A whoosh of cool air swirled from behind, letting him know that Faith and ole Bubba were back in the office. Xander turned, smiling gratefully.  
  
"So, honey, did it meet with your approval? Cause I sure would like to rent a room now."  
  
"Marcy, you get youself outta here!" The proprietor barked and the child scurried away as quickly as she had popped up.  
  
"Cute kid you got there," Xander said. "She's real...personable."  
  
"You want a room?" Faith verified.  
  
"Definitely."  
  
"We'll take one then," Faith told the man, who shuffled back behind the counter to complete the transaction.  
  
As Xander paid for an hour and signed the register, he tried to think of some non-obvious way to request room 12, where Macardle had stayed, but he had to accept the keys to number 8 instead.  
  
Back outside, they released Rufus from the car and he leaped against one then the other of them as if he had been left behind for days. Xander marveled at how quickly the mutt had become attached. They headed to their room, Faith unlocked the door, and the stale odor of mildew and recycled air gushed out.  
  
"Okay. What's the scoop?" she asked as soon as she'd closed the door behind them. "And what was with that weird kid?"  
  
"Your Watcher checked in here two nights ago. He stayed in room 12, but I could hardly ask for a specific room. You can pick the lock while I make sure Bubba's not watching. I'll ask for ice or something. And THAT was the scariest little kid I've ever seen in my life. Something is way off about this place."  
  
"What makes you think I know how to pick locks?" Faith demanded. Xander just gave her a look, and she sighed. "Fine. You're the plan guy. I'm just along for the ride. What kind of stuff do you want me to look for? I told you I'm crap at this detective stuff."  
  
"Well, signs of a struggle - anything broken. Look close for smears of blood, and if you find any sign of it, take a sample. Also hairs from the pillow or bathroom. Any personal possessions that might've been left behind or clues about where he was going next. Don't you watch TV, Faith?"  
  
"Shut up! I get it, already. Just give me a minute to find a tool."  
  
Xander flopped down on the single, saggy bed and looked around the room, while Faith searched the drawers for a paperclip or anything pointy. From the threadbare carpet to the faded prints on the walls, this room looked pretty much like home to Faith. It was a carbon copy of any of the dozens of places she had stayed in her traveling life. She knew she wouldn't find anything in the empty drawers to suit her needs.  
  
"You know, it would've been real nice if you'd warned me ahead of time so I could've brought something along," she complained.  
  
"Oh!" Xander sat up, suddenly, struck by a thought. "Would this help?"  
  
Faith just glared as she took the pocketknife from his hand.  
  
"Sorry." He smiled in embarrassment and jumped up to grab the ice bucket and assume his duties as decoy.  
  
When Xander entered the office again, it was empty, but he could hear a drone of voices coming from the back room. Good. He'd skip the "I need ice" excuse as long as the man was otherwise occupied. He strolled around the room, looking at the prints of hunters and ducks on the walls and the rack of pamphlets advertising the many attractions in Sunnydale and surrounding areas, most of which were so faded and outdated it was clear they hadn't been touched since someone had placed them there. He picked one out and began to read about a petting zoo that had once existed where the mall was now.  
  
"Well howdy there!" A booming voice startled him so that he knocked over the rack of pamphlets and just caught it before it fell. He turned to see the ugliest woman he had ever beheld beaming at him from behind the counter. Her tobacco stained teeth, sans the front pair, were revealed in a wide smile that was more reminiscent of a crocodile's grin than of, say, Santa Claus. Her bulk, however, was that of the patron saint of Christmas, only with a flowered muumuu replacing the red suit.  
  
"H-hi!" Xander stammered, he held the bucket out in front of him, "Um...ice?"  
  
"Ice machine's on the side of the building," she gestured with a thumb.  
  
"Oh. I didn't notice it. Thanks. D-do you own the place? It sure is nice."  
  
"Yup. Me an' Bernie been here since....well, since before you was born."  
  
"Bernie? He the guy who checked us in?" Xander hoped to hell the man hadn't gone out the back way and wasn't catching Faith in the act of breaking and entering right now.  
  
She nodded. "That's my Bernie. And you met little Marcy, too, I hear."  
  
"Yeah. She's a sweetie.....JESUS!" Little Marcy had materialized seemingly out of nowhere again, practically right at his elbow. She gazed up at him from her disconcertingly crossed eyes that were as devoid of life as a shark's.  
  
"Marcy just loves our visitors. Don't you, hon?" The woman moved out and around the counter, gliding surprisingly lightly for someone so large.  
  
"Hey, Marcy," Xander managed to say. "How you doin'?"  
  
"We just don't get enough visitors away out here off the main routes. It's nice to see a young couple like yourselves come through." Standing right in front of him now, Mrs. Claus of the many-tumored face reached out a hand and enveloped Xander's in a firm, sweaty grip. "Name's Velma Joskovitch. Pleased to meet ya."  
  
"Uh, Dick," Xander pulled away from the handshake. "Dick and D- Dora...Doris Tidwell."  
  
"Where you folks from?" She leaned toward him and he backed up a step...and bumped into silent Marcy.  
  
"Oh. Sunnydale. We're not out-of-towners. As a matter of fact everyone knows us around town. Like I told Bernie, we just needed a little alone time....away from the...the kids. Yeah, they'd be calling a search party out if we were gone for long! Heh, heh." He began sidling toward the door. "Well, my...Dora...will be waiting for me, so I better get that ice and....yeah.... Be seeing you." He exited quickly and practically sprinted for the room.  
  
He fumbled with the lock and slipped inside, slamming the door shut behind him.  
  
"What the hell? What kind of lookout are you? I practically got busted by that freakshow from the front desk," Faith instantly started in on him. "I just got outta there in time."  
  
"Did you find anything?" Xander asked, gasping for breath, and peering through the blinds to see if any of the clan was out there.  
  
"Jackpot. Book called "The Guildstone Prophecies" which had fallen between the wall and the bed. Only a Watcher would read something so boring. AND...," Faith brandished a chunk of linoleum in one hand and a piece of molding in the other, "Blood samples."  
  
"Jeez, Faith! You're supposed to take scrapings, not chunks of the room."  
  
"Screw you, Harris. Got what we came for, didn't I? Can we leave now? 'Cause this place is seriously creepy."  
  
"You're telling me! I just met Mrs. Bubba and sweet little Marcy again. I'm not sure they're human." Xander glanced around the room. "Hey, where's the dog?"  
  
"He ran out past me when I came in. I figured he had to do his business so I let him go. It's not like he's gonna take off very far."  
  
A scratching at the door verified her words. Faith jumped up from the chair she was straddling and opened it. Rufus barreled into the room and straight to his new master. He gave a muffled bark around the big stick he held in his mouth.  
  
"Hey, boy. You found a toy, eh? You wanna play fetch? Well, maybe later." Xander reached to accept the dog's offering. "Wow, you got yourself a really big sti...." He gave a yelp and dropped the thing. It wasn't a branch, or even a piece of roadkill. A human tibia with shreds of muscle and skin still attached lay between Faith and Xander on the floor of the Sleep Tite motel.  
  
to be continued 


	7. 7

Going on Faith - Chapter 7  
  
Buffy lay on her side, naked between the cool cotton sheets, and watched her lover sleep. Although there was no rise and fall of his chest to indicate life, it was not - as Xander had once dared to say - like sleeping with a dead body. She could see the delicate movement of his eyes under the lids watching dream pictures she could only wonder about. Every now and then a limb twitched or he shifted and sighed. No. There was definitely life in that beautiful body - a body that was hers to cherish and possess for as long as she chose.  
  
And what about the soul? Did she possess that? Not for the first time, she wondered what it was exactly and why she had thought it made such a difference. Spike was still Spike even with his bravado and arrogance diminished and a new gravity in his demeanor. Also, not for the first time, she wondered why Spike couldn't have had the foresight to demand full humanity as long as he was asking for stuff. Poor planning, as usual.  
  
She rolled onto her back and stared at the streaks of sunshine on the ceiling, sneaking through the closed blinds. She idly realized she hadn't opened her blinds in two months now and wondered if she ever would need to again.  
  
"You're way too gloomy for a beautiful, sunny morning," she scolded herself mentally, but couldn't help worrying at the problem facing her. It was almost crunch time. She could feel it coming. Big, life-altering decisions were going to have to be made and they loomed before her like the most sinister monster she had ever fought.  
  
"But not yet. Not yet," she repeated her new mantra, as she pushed off the covers and rose to go brew her morning - actually early afternoon - coffee.  
  
The house was uncharacteristically quiet with Dawn's big mouth out of the picture. Buffy wondered how the research party at Willow's was going. She started the coffee maker, then sat down at the table with a bowl of cereal and the book she was working on, "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire." It was kinda dry, but she knew if it got too boring she could get Spike to synopsize the rest for her - and she could happily listen to him talk for hours.  
  
Flipping through the pages, she considered what a shock it would be to her high school self that history actually interested her now. She'd always been too busy dealing with the constant crises of Slayership to think beyond the moment. People (read that "Xander") could convince themselves all they wanted that she and Spike had a purely sexual relationship, but the vampire had opened new areas of knowledge and awakened a new self- confidence that she hadn't even known was missing. Yes, Slayer can read. Slayer can think and form opinions about things other than strategizing battle plans.  
  
It had been a real hoot to find out the truth about Spike's upper middle class roots, which he had so carefully tried to bury under the "Spike" persona. Buffy smiled as a random line from "Shrek" floated into her mind, "Onions have layers. Ogres have layers." Well, Spike definitely had layers, some of which he would only show to her, and that, in a nutshell, was what the others would never understand.  
  
Buffy found her place and began to read about the exploits of Caligula.  
  
*********  
  
"Okay. Is it time to start bashing heads yet," Faith asked, gazing at the disgusting thing on the floor between them.  
  
"Not yet. I think it's the let's-get-the-hell-outta-here-and-check-in-with- Willow-and -Dawn time. I'm sure we'll be back here sooner than we want to be." Xander removed a pillowcase from the bed and picked the bone up with it, shuddering in revulsion. It's not like he hadn't seen his share of blood and guts in his years on the hellmouth, but....yeuch!  
  
Faith checked through the blinds for the Happy Family and seeing the coast was clear, they made a dash for their car. They drove away in a spinout of gravel. When the car reached the road leading to the highway, Xander released a pent up breath he hadn't even realized he was holding.  
  
"Whew! That was seriously freaky." He glanced over at Faith, who had tossed her bits of evidence in the back and currently had a lapful of wiggling dog.  
  
"I still say we bust 'em - shake 'em up, ask some questions. I mean, look at this shit," she gestured to the back seat. "You got a book, blood and a bone, Macardle's signature in the register, and a group of weirdos that make the Manson family look sane. What else do you need?"  
  
"Motive would be good," Xander replied.  
  
"They're whack-jobs! What other motive do they need?" Faith exclaimed in frustration. "Probably not even human."  
  
"Well, for now we have to give 'innocent 'til proven guilty' a shot. It could be a complete coincidence that the Watcher spent the night there then disappeared. And as for the bone....a-and the blood....." He fished for an explanation, then fell silent.  
  
"Whatever." Faith sighed. "But if they get away while we're messing around playing the Hardy Boy and Nancy Drews, it's on your head." She settled back in the seat and stared out the window, absently running a hand over the dog's rough coat.  
  
They drove in silence for awhile, then Xander's stomach let out a resounding rumble.  
  
"You want to stop for lunch?" he asked his quiet companion. "Will and Dawn probably aren't back yet, and if they are, they can wait a few."  
  
"If you want." Faith frowned. "But, I'm a little short....still need to pick up my Council-cash. Could you spot me a five?"  
  
"My treat," Xander said. "There's a nice Mexican restaurant out this way I haven't been to for a long time."  
  
"You sure?" Faith looked at him, her hard eyes considering - weighing and measuring his intentions. "Fast food is fine with me."  
  
"No. I want to. You'll like it." The young man studied the road in front of him with intense interest.  
  
She shrugged and turned back to her window, still fussing with the dog's fur.  
  
"Look," she said after a minute, her voice pitched so low he could barely hear it. "This isn't like a - a frigging date or something, is it?"  
  
"No!" Xander negated violently, shaking his head. "No. It's just....just lunch."  
  
"That's good, cause...you know, it'd be too weird."  
  
"Definitely," he said emphatically. "Off the weird-o-meter. No. No. No. We're just two people eating together."  
  
"Right. Just checking. I mean, after last night, I thought maybe you thought....I don't know. I was coming on kinda strong. Had a little too much to drink and I love dancing."  
  
'Yes you do!' he thought, but said, "No. I didn't think anything. Not a thought in my head. It was a good time. No big deal."  
  
"So long as we're clear." Faith fell silent again.  
  
Xander searched for a topic to alleviate the awkward silence.  
  
"Um, do you like movies?" he asked.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"What do you like? Action? Comedy? Drama?"  
  
"Action I guess." She paused as though considering. "Anything really. You spend a lot of time watching TV when you're living out of motels."  
  
"You watch a lot of TV living in a normal American household," Xander replied, then pursued a question he'd had for a long time. "How long were you on your own, Faith? And when did you leave your family and start your training with your Watcher? I know Buffy got started late. So I have to ask, if fifteen is considered late, what's the normal age for a Slayer to start training."  
  
"I was contacted by the Council when I was thirteen."  
  
"And your parents just...." He was going to say 'gave you up' but replaced it with the kinder, "put you into your Watcher's care."  
  
Faith shrugged. "I had already been through about a dozen foster homes so it wasn't a big deal. I was glad to go. Always felt different anyway, and now I could finally understand why."  
  
"What about your biological parents? What happened to them?" he asked. He glanced over to catch her frowning slightly. "Just tell me to shut up if I'm being too nosy."  
  
She hesitated long enough that Xander was sure she was going to say, 'You are', then answered, "Don't know about my dad, but my mom died. They took me away from her long before that, though. She was a junky." The young woman's voice was remote as she told her tale. "My second grade teacher's the one blew the whistle on her - for neglect I guess, cause she never hit me, and pretty soon I was in the system. Just another statistic."  
  
Faith rolled her shoulders and smiled, curving those full, luscious lips. "But, I don't dwell on that shit. It was a long time ago. It happened. It's over and bitching about it's not gonna change anything, you know? Ya gotta live for the moment."  
  
"You're right," Xander agreed, thinking about Sunday dinner battlegrounds and drunken bellowing at his Little League games. "No point remembering some things."  
  
But he couldn't resist pressing just a little further, "And you were on your own for awhile after your Watcher died? Then you came to Sunnydale."  
  
"Yeah, that's the story. Enough Q & A, okay, Ace?" Faith snapped, losing patience.  
  
"Sorry." They resumed silence as the car turned from the back road onto the highway.  
  
Scrunching back down into her corner of the car, Faith contemplated just how big Harris' mouth was. The man couldn't take two minutes of silence without bursting into chatter. Long days and nights of solitude had taught her the comfort of quiet. She could wrap it around her like a quilt and be content.  
  
Alexander Harris was an odd contradiction. In some ways he seemed much more confident and mature than the high-school kid she remembered, but at times he would slip back into that persona like an ill-fitting suit, hiding behind the jokes and babble that masked his insecurities. When would he get rid of that security blanket?  
  
She cut her eyes over to where Xander's hands rested on the steering wheel. They were large, competent looking hands, callused and rough from his trade. She wondered what they would feel like on her skin, maybe caressing her back, her hips, her thighs with sandpaper softness. She wondered how much experience he'd gained over the past few years. What would he be like in bed now - a man instead of a boy?  
  
Faith quickly derailed her thoughts from that line and tried to concentrate on the clues they had gathered and what they pointed to, other than the fact that her Watcher had been murdered and dismembered by a family of psychos. She was glad Willow and Dawn had taken the lead in the research aspect of finding the Watcher or she'd still be sitting at Buffy's with her thumb up her butt. She had never realized before how truly badly she sucked at figuring things out. Slay, screw, eat, drink and be merry had pretty much been her motto. Now she was going to have to learn to be much more of a planner if she was going to fill Buffy's shoes.  
  
The car pulled up in front of a stucco building shaped vaguely like the Alamo. A southwestern flavored sign announced it to be "Mi Ranchito". Faith and Xander got out of the car and closed the door on Rufus with difficulty. He was determined not to be left behind this time and almost got his muzzle shut in the door.  
  
They entered the restaurant and were ushered to a table on the patio per Xander's request. It was one of those perfect, sunny fall days that call for you to spend time outdoors. They were soon seated at an umbrella- shaded table, enjoying the fresh breeze and view of the shoppers passing by on the sidewalk. Xander ordered a pair of margueritas and they perused the menu.  
  
"This is nice. Uh, thanks," Faith said, trying to remember her manners.  
  
"My pleasure," he replied gallantly. "The fajitas are excellent," he recommended.  
  
Faith nodded and resumed studying the menu. This whole experience was freaking her out. She'd never spent time with someone so.....polite before, besides nighttime was her place. She wasn't big on sunshine and felt somehow exposed and vulnerable sitting here at an open air table.  
  
Xander looked up from his menu to see Faith's pale face turned toward the passers-by, eyes wide and scanning. Her leg jiggle was back and vibrating the table with its motion.  
  
"Something wrong?"  
  
"Huh? No. It's cool. I'm just....." Faith looked back at the menu. "Fajitas, eh? Yeah. That sounds good." She closed it, set it on the table, and lounged back in her chair, legs apart and looking cool and at ease. Only the telltale drumming of her left leg betrayed any anxiety.  
  
The waiter came by and Xander placed the order for both of them. Faith watched his face, all business as he ordered side salads and asked her what dressing she wanted on hers. Such serious brown eyes - a mirror image of her own, but with a softness she had never seen in her own reflection. God, he was charming!  
  
After the waiter left, Faith folded her arms across her chest, and pinning Xander with a teasing look, began her own grilling.  
  
"So, Xan-man, what've you been up to these past couple of years? I mean, other than the building gig. Why does a hottie like you not have a fish on the line?"  
  
"Poor casting, I guess, or maybe I'm at the wrong fishing hole," he quipped. "Actually, I had someone....for a long time. But it didn't work out so..... Guess you could say I'm between fish right now." He toyed with his silverware, not meeting her gaze, and Faith guessed the wound was still fresh.  
  
"Anyone I know?" Her thoughts automatically turned to Buffy. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see the way he'd been sniffing around after her back in high school. His answer surprised her.  
  
"Yes. You met Anya - the woman at the Magic Box. We dated since high school. Were even engaged, but...." he laughed bitterly. "I balked at the altar. We tried to make it up later, but.....I don't know. Maybe my gut feeling was right. Maybe we weren't meant to be together."  
  
"But you're still friends? How can you stand to be around her? Doesn't it hurt."  
  
"Buffy and I were talking about that yesterday, just before you got here. I guess....I mean, I think I'm over her. I can look at Anya now and just feel - friendly. She's happy with her shop, and she's started dating a guy, and I'm actually happy that she's happy."  
  
"Wow. You don't hear a guy say that very often."  
  
"I think I mean it, too," Xander marveled. "We were so young when we got together.....well, that's not strictly true, Anya was a 1,000 year old vengeance demon before Giles broke her power and she became human. But she was inexperienced at being a human and I was inexperienced at....." He broke off quickly, remembering that other than groping Cordelia in a broom closet, Faith was his only other sexual experience before Anya. "....pretty much everything. We just went to the prom together, and before I knew it we were a couple. I don't know if we chose our relationship so much as accepted it by default."  
  
"Jesus, you are a bunch of crazy kids! First Buffy and her TWO vamps, Willow and her wolf-boy, now you and a vengeance demon. The kinks just keep on coming!"  
  
"EX- vengeance demon," Xander corrected huffily.  
  
"Whatever. Still, I don't remember seeing this chick around Sunnydale High," Faith continued. "Of course, it's not like I ever came to class or went to a football game or anything."  
  
It took every ounce of willpower for Xander to refrain from saying, "No, you were too busy teaming up with Mayor Wilkins to betray and try to kill us all," but he managed and said instead, "Well, you wouldn't have noticed. Anya looks like a normal girl when she's not all vengeancy."  
  
"So that's it, Slick? You've had a big crush on Buffy, a little song and dance with Cordelia, and then the main event with your vengeance girl and nothing since? You telling me you never got up to any extra-curricular activities the whole time you were with this Anya?"  
  
"No! I would never...I never even thought of..." Xander was so wide-eyed in shock and indignation that Faith knew it was true. "She was my fiancé! I wouldn't..!"  
  
"Okay! Okay! Got ya. You're not the sleep around kind." A certain memory crossed their minds at the same moment, and they both froze for a second remembering the unexpected and very sweaty twenty minutes they had shared. "Well, not much, anyway." Faith added with a sly smile. "Not a cheat, anyway."  
  
"Nope.or.well, no..." Another memory seemed to flash across Xander's honest face, and Faith sensed a story.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Come on," she wheedled. "You tell me yours. I'll tell you mine."  
  
Xander perked up at the thought of hearing about Faith's sexploits, and shrugging, decided to share his long ago and oh-so-innocent indiscretion.  
  
"Well, when I was with Cordelia I, um, kissed Willow a few times."  
  
"You animal!" Faith mocked. "You should be taken out and castrated. It'd be a service to women."  
  
"At the time it was a very big deal!" he protested. "In retrospect, Cordy treated me like a sack of shit most of the time, and I don't feel very bad about the whole thing."  
  
Faith laughed wholeheartedly. "Harris you are the last of the boy scouts. If that's the worst sin you can come up with..."  
  
"Okay, how about you Miss Tough-As-Nails. Are you really as bad as you make out or is it a lot of talk?"  
  
She gave him a "you have to ask?" look, and he amended, "I mean, other than the whole allying yourself with the Mayor (and trying to choke me) and taking over Buffy's body and general mayhem, do you really live the wild life you claim? Do you 'get around' a lot?"  
  
"Yep," she said simply, "Keeps things fresh. You never know what you're getting."  
  
"And that's a 'good' thing? Aren't you afraid of, I don't know, catching diseases and dying alone? Don't you want something more permanent?"  
  
"No." Faith waited while the waiter placed their salads, then left. "Use 'em and lose 'em. It's neat and easy. I don't like complications."  
  
Xander shook his head, but refrained from saying "It sounds more lonely and pathetic."  
  
"Besides, you know a slayer's life expectancy. What's the point of getting involved?"  
  
"So what's the wildest thing you've ever done, Faith?" he lightened the tone of the conversation with a teasing note in his voice.  
  
"The wildest thing? You're not ready to hear about it, Stud, but I will tell you a little girls-in-chains epic from my prison days." She leaned forward, eyes dancing with mischief, tongue slipping over her lips lasciviously. "There was Skinny Louise and Wanda and me, and we were all.." As she spun the tall tale, Xander played along, managing to look appropriately shocked and turned on by the girl on girl action.  
  
"Uh, Faith?" He finally interrupted her descriptive narrative.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I already saw this movie on Hotnt. Good storytelling, though, better than my first grade teacher, Mrs. Breckenmeyer."  
  
Faith grinned. "You don't believe me?"  
  
"Not for a second."  
  
She laughed aloud, the first open, unguarded sound he'd heard from her.  
  
"Okay. You got me," she said. "No prison flings, just a lot of long, lonely nights." She leveled a seductive gaze at Xander. "A LOT." The subtext 'I'm sick of being horny and alone' was clear, and Xander wondered what the holy heck she wanted out of him. She was sending such mixed signals he was at a loss.  
  
The waiter brought their main course and saved Xander from having to think up a clever retort. As soon as the man left, he steered the conversation into shallow waters.  
  
"So, what do you think the chances are we'll find Macardle alive? I mean, the bone seems kind of old to me, not that I'm a forensic expert or anything, but shouldn't it look whiter or fresher?"  
  
"Search me?" Faith shrugged, going along with the change in topic. "Good point, though. Will the Dynamic Duo have some way to test for that?"  
  
"Whatever we need to know, Will always finds a way to supply the answers. Even if she can't do it herself, she'll know where to take it."  
  
"Useful girl. She'd of made a great Watcher."  
  
"Yeah. She could shake the Council up from within. God knows they could use it." A thought occurred to him. "Hey. How did you get Council to cough money up for you? Buffy's been trying for years to get at least her basic needs covered and no go."  
  
"I don't know," Faith answered. "And, I don't know how generous they're going to be with me yet. I'll believe they wired me cash when I see it."  
  
"We can check on the way back to Willow's."  
  
Conversation languished, as they ate their meal and Xander paid the bill. Walking back to the car, Faith thanked him again for lunch.  
  
"No problem," he replied.  
  
Xander unlocked and opened the car door, and Rufus spilled out and began leaping joyously around them. Considering that he'd better get a leash if he was going to keep the beast, Xander watched him take a dump on the lawn right in front of the restaurant. Chagrined, he urged the dog back in the car so they could speed away before anyone noticed.  
  
Settled back in the vehicle and on the road again, Faith hesitated then plunged into the apology that had been worrying at her mind ever since she got to Sunnydale.  
  
"Look, Harris," she began brusquely. "I know I haven't said it yet...or maybe I did and didn't sound like I meant it....but I'm sorry. Know it doesn't change anything, but I want you to know it. I'm sorry for all the shitty things I did to your friends, to everyone in this town, and to you personally." She heaved a quick, heavy sigh. "There! Did it." She smiled, ironically. "We had mandatory therapy in prison. This is step two - making amends."  
  
"What was step one?"  
  
"Admitting fault. That one took me awhile, but hours of time on your hands leads to a lot of reflection."  
  
"So, you've made it through two steps, what's next?" he asked.  
  
"Change. I'm supposed to change my behavior patterns that lead to violence," she exchanged a look with Xander and he burst out laughing at the irony.  
  
"You need to change professions then, girlie. Maybe something quiet and non-contact like an accountant."  
  
"Librarian," Faith suggested.  
  
"Museum curator."  
  
"How 'bout a clown. I could make all the little kiddies happy."  
  
"No! No clowns," Xander countered. "They're evil and contrary to popular opinion little kids do NOT like them."  
  
"Bad experience, huh?" Faith asked.  
  
"Long story. Anyway, back to step two....I accept your apology and give you absolution. Are we square now?"  
  
"If you say we are." Faith matched his light tone, but he could see the question in her eyes. She looked the way he used to feel back in high school when he had asked someone out and was waiting to get shot down.  
  
"We are," he said firmly. "It starts fresh from here." It sounded really good, even though there was no way forgiving and forgetting was ever that easy.  
  
Faith dropped her head and smiled a little to herself. After a moment, she raised her chin again and treated Xander to a full-on flirtatious Faith grin. "Thanks, Andy. You're a good guy."  
  
"No problem...Grace," he answered.  
  
  
  
To be continued 


	8. 8

Going on Faith - Chapter 8  
  
"Look at this!" Willow exclaimed over the gathered evidence as if it were Christmas morning.  
  
"And you guys'll never believe what happened to us," Dawn interrupted. "The Concord had already been towed, so there we were poking around in the bushes, not finding a thing but some tire tracks and broken branches, when this car pulls up. We figured it was the police back for another look around, then out steps this scaly demon guy and a human. Will and I just froze and watched them. Luckily, we were way back in the trees."  
  
"We had our weapons out, just in case," Dawn assured her sister, seeing the frown start to form on Buffy's face and thinking her sister was going to have some serious furrows in her forehead by the time she was thirty if she didn't stop the habitual scowling.  
  
"Anyway, they walked around like they were looking for something. I mean, it was obvious they expected that car to be there. They talked, but we couldn't hear them, then after awhile they gave up and left. Cool, huh? Oooh, and we got the license plate number from their car. Buffy's checking on that right now."  
  
Buffy had indeed been hunched over the computer keyboard hunting and pecking when Xander and Faith arrived. Dawn had been directing her search with the self-satisfaction of a younger sibling showing off superior knowledge, making Xander smile at the pained expression on the Slayer's face. Research was never her forte, especially when it involved using technology, but lately Buffy had been making more of an effort to acquaint herself with the 21st century.  
  
Now, Dawn and Willow grabbed the bloodied board, book, and dog-retrieved bone and scurried into the kitchen where the young witch had a laboratory full of supplies set up at all times. It kind of made the others nervous to eat anything she cooked there, since spell ingredients, chemicals, and foods all jostled for position on her shelves.  
  
There was nothing to do now but wait for Willow and Dawn to work their combination of science and magic to unravel the clues. Faith dropped back onto the couch next to Xander, legs spread wide, and gave a bone cracking stretch and yawn. She let her head fall against the back of the couch and closed her eyes. Time for a late afternoon catnap.  
  
But Buffy had other ideas. Although, Xander and Faith had already told their tale of the Bates motel, she made them repeat it in case there were any details they had missed. Nothing new came from the retelling, and it was obvious Buffy was avoiding her computer work when she started repeating questions. Dawn came back out from the kitchen to check on her progress and to scold.  
  
"All right! I'm on it!" Buffy whined, grabbing the mouse and trying to remember the directions her sister had given her not twenty minutes before.  
  
"Oh, for Pete's sake. Move!" Dawn butted her out of the chair, and soon her fingers were flying over the keyboard, as she continued to talk. "We think the bone is probably from a female or child. It's not only too small, but there are other indicators that it couldn't have come from a human male, especially a six-footer like Macardle was according to his dossier. We're doing a calcium test on a bone chip right now. So..Bingo!" Dawn's eyes glowed as she pressed print and a description of the vehicle matching the license number began to print out.along with the owner's name.  
  
"Cletus Thomas Maxwell. And here's his address. Oh, we are so good!!" Dawn enthused.  
  
"Great! I'll go check it out," Buffy said, eager to escape the computer.  
  
"You'll need a ride. It's too far to walk. If you'd help me buy a car, we wouldn't have to keep depending on our friends for rides all the time," Dawn complained.  
  
"We have Spike's car."  
  
"Like I'd be caught dead in the Monster-Mobile! Buffy, I told you I've saved enough for a beater, all you'd have to help me with is insurance. Come on! This would be better for both of us."  
  
"I told you I'd think about it, and I will, but now is not the time or place for discussion." Buffy tried to keep her voice neutral, but Dawn's rising tone was hitting all the right buttons.  
  
"Even Xander thinks it's a good idea. Don't you Xander? You're sick of giving us rides, right?"  
  
"I - uh. It's not a problem, Dawn. I'm happy to help you guys any time. You know that. On the other hand," he addressed Buffy, "Dawn has a point. It would be good for you to have some reliable transportation of your own."  
  
"I told you," an edge began to creep into Buffy's calm tone, "we have the DeSoto."  
  
"Which I'm not allowed to touch even if I wanted to!!" Dawn wailed. "Besides, Spike spends more time tinkering with the damn thing than driving it. Tell me, what is he doing today?" she added with a smug smirk.  
  
The answer was obvious from the silence. "Discussion over," Buffy proclaimed. "We'll talk about it later. At home!" The 'not in front of our friends' was implied.  
  
No one could say Dawn hadn't changed over the past year, and the way she tactfully switched gears and dropped the subject was proof of her new maturity.  
  
"Anyway, besides talking to this Cletus Maxwell," she continued. "It looks like we need to check for more missing persons - and you know how big the bureau is here in Sunnydale! For that matter, that bone could belong to any passing stranger who stayed at Motel Hell, so it's going to be hard."  
  
"Sounds like we need to go back out there. Find out where Rufus got the bone," Xander said. "We should have looked around right away."  
  
"I told ya we should've questioned the psychos," Faith remarked without opening her eyes. She knocked Xander's knee with her own. "Shoulda listened to me. We could've saved a trip."  
  
"It would look suspicious if you went again. I'll go, pose as a lone traveler, check in and see what happens." Buffy made a prompt and unplanned plan.  
  
"B, you shouldn't go out there alone," Faith interrupted. "You don't know what else, besides the Addams family, is involved in this. At least take your pet vamp along."  
  
Buffy bristled at the challenge to her decision AND the dis of her boyfriend, but let it slide with remarkable restraint. "It's still too light out for him and I'd like to get started. I am able to drive, you know! I just don't have my license. Xander, if you'd just lend me your car.."  
  
"Uh-uh. No way. It's not much, but it's my only transportation. Besides, I agree with Faith, you may need back up." Xander thought for a minute. "Okay. Here's the plan. Faith and I'll get out before we get to the motel. We search in the woods for more bones while you go check out the creepy motel, okay?"  
  
"Meanwhile, I'll take Willow's car, as soon as it's dark, pick up Spike and we'll check out Mr. Cletus," Dawn added.  
  
Willow entered the room, a pair of goggles pushed back up onto her hair, a mixing bowl in the crook of one arm. "Hey, I heard that and thanks for asking! Yes, Dawn, you MAY drive my brand new car, but don't you let that maniac behind the wheel, got it?"  
  
Dawn saluted. "Yes, Mon Capitan. Only Dawn touches the Vroom-Broom."  
  
Just like that, they were off again. Faith sighed as she hauled herself from the comfortable couch and the pleasant tingle of Xander's leg occasionally brushing against her own. It was obvious to her that the whole crew needed Ritalin. She was quickly revising her opinion of young Dawn from clever smart-ass to hyper loudmouth. As she reminded herself again that she was 'grateful to be here' and 'owed these people a big debt', she couldn't help but sentimentally recall the solitude of her prison life.  
  
**********  
  
Xander leaned in the car window, giving Buffy last instructions on the proper care of his vehicle, while Faith paced the side of the road in annoyance, Rufus straining at his new leash.  
  
"Come on, Ace. She's not gonna crash going another half mile down the road. Let's get crackin' before it gets any darker."  
  
"All right. Jeesh!" Xander turned and tossed her a flashlight. Buffy waved and pulled away with a roar and squeal of tires. "This is a bad idea. I know this is a really bad idea." Xander mumbled as he followed Faith into the woods.  
  
Rufus was muzzled to prevent him barking, and he was tossing his head trying to remove the strappy thing from his snout. Faith patted his head and soothed him.  
  
"We'll take if off soon, boy. You just show us where you got your bone, and we can go home again."  
  
Unwrapping the tibia, Xander let the dog get a good sniff, and he was off, the humans following his lead, crashing through the underbrush and catching their clothes on branches and brambles.  
  
Xander had his doubts about the whole plan, not just the Buffy-taking-my- car part. For all they knew, Rufus was tracking a squirrel right now, as he led them on a merry chase through the backwoods, the ground getting boggier by the minute. Then there was the whole plan for meeting up with Buffy back at the motel. How they hell were they supposed to find their way out of this mess again, let alone travel cross country and end up at a specific destination. Too often, Xander felt like a lowly foot soldier on some mad general's campaign. It didn't help to know that this one had been his own plan.  
  
The marched on in silence for about fifteen minutes, when Faith suddenly hissed, "Hey, Xander? You smell something?"  
  
"Other than muddy dirt?" he asked, also lowering his voice.  
  
"Yeah! Like spoiled meat, maybe?"  
  
Just as she said it he caught a whiff - the sweet, cloying smell of rancid whatever mixed with the earthy smell of the forest.  
  
"Oh, yeah." His heart began to race, even faster than it already was from pushing through the brush. That familiar burst of adrenalin pumped through him.  
  
Rufus whined and pulled even harder, Faith's super strength barely keeping him under control. Another minute brought them to a clearing in the woods, and a stench that was now pungent. The ground had been disturbed recently, that was clear. Fresh dirt was turned over in a vague oblong shape. But there were also signs of other excavation, older but still discernable. Many, MANY oblong shapes which screamed "Dead body here."  
  
"Could be pets. Maybe a farm animal graveyard," Xander tried to deny the witness of his eyes.  
  
"Yeah, and Buffy could be a natural blond," Faith quipped absently, poking with her toe at the 'grave' Rufus had led her to. "Damn, we should've brought something to dig with!"  
  
Xander grabbed a thick stick and began poking around in the loose dirt. He felt the branch snag on something and pried the hard object out of the ground. It was another bone, and not a dog, cat, horse or parakeet type bone.  
  
"That one looks freshest," Faith said. "Let's take a look." She found her own stick and the pair was soon stirring up the loose mound that could be considered Watcher-shaped. A few minutes digging and body parts started emerging.  
  
"This...this isn't right," Xander protested, as he turned up a clavicle. "These look new, but there's hardly any flesh on the bones. It's like they were stripped first, then buried."  
  
"Eaten," Faith agreed.  
  
"What?!! I didn't say eaten. Don't SAY that! I only meant...." Xander trailed off, examining the skull he had hooked through one eye socket and pulled free of the earth. Hair still trailed from the scalp. In fact most of the skin, the lips, even the nose were still intact. Only the eyes had been removed.  
  
They both stopped digging simultaneously and just stared at the carnage they had unearthed. Faith was right. It looked like a bucket of Colonel Sander's that had been picked through and discarded, only without the crispy batter and cole slaw on the side.  
  
"Okay," Xander resumed breathing. "Okay. What do we have so far? Creepy motel. Shallow graves. Assorted oddballs, demon or other."  
  
"Possible cannibalism," Faith added.  
  
"And Buffy, going alone into a nest of maniacs."  
  
"Let's go then." Faith pulled Rufus away from sniffing Macardle's? head, and plunged back into the woods in what she hoped was the direction of the motel. The sun was so low now it didn't penetrate the trees, and Faith and Xander turned on their flashlights, keeping the beams low so as not to alert anyone besides themselves who might be in the woods at twilight.  
  
"Do you know where you're going?" Xander asked, keeping close to the shadowy figure in front of him  
  
"What the hell do you think?" she replied. "I'm following the damn dog! If he can't get us out of here, we're in big trou......" There was a loud metallic snap, her words cut off abruptly, and Faith screamed in pain. She disappeared from his view.  
  
"Wha....?" Xander tripped over her prone form, and fell heavily to one knee, half on top of her. Faith was writhing on the ground, clutching at her leg and cursing violently.  
  
"Fuckfuckfuckfuck. Goddamn!!! Get it off me!"  
  
Both of them had dropped their flashlights, and the beams stared off at crazy angles in the dark. Xander retrieved his and trained it on Faith's leg. It was caught in a trap. Blood gushed from her ankle.  
  
"Jesus," he breathed, setting his light down and grabbing the jaws of the trap in both hands. He fought against the hinge and was able to pry it open just long enough for the girl to remove her foot. He let go and it snapped shut.  
  
Faith was grabbing her ankle with both hands now, still mumbling a stream of curses, as blood welled between her fingers and trickled down in a steady stream. Xander, running on instinct, removed his coat, shirt, and undershirt, which he quickly tore into wide strips.  
  
"Let me see," he demanded, prying gently at Faith's shaking hands. He dabbed at the injured limb and more blood quickly obscured the puncture wounds. It was impossible to tell how severe they were, so he gave up and began tightly binding the gashes with the cloth. The material was soon stained red.  
  
By now Faith was shaking all over. Xander tossed his coat around her, shrugged his shirt back on, stood up, buttoning it, and looked around for inspiration. He saw Faith's flashlight, retrieved it and turned it off. He whistled softly for Rufus, but the dog had taken off the moment Faith dropped his leash. Great! Hopefully the animal would go find Buffy and lead her to them - or it would alert the Manson family to their presence, if Faith's scream hadn't already.  
  
With the sun down, it was almost pitch black under the trees. Xander didn't have a clue what direction to head with no light to guide him, and he didn't know if Faith was in any shape to stagger along or if he'd have to carry her. On top of that, it suddenly occurred to him that there could be more backwoods boobytraps, intended to protect the burial ground they had discovered. He would have to probe the ground in front of them with a stick, while dragging Faith along behind. This was not going to be easy.  
  
He hunkered back down next to the Slayer, who was silent now, her jaw clenched in pain and her face pale. A scan of her injury confirmed that the bandages were soaked through.  
  
"You gonna make it?" Xander asked, quietly.  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Think you can walk at all?" He hated to ask it, but didn't know what other option they had.  
  
"Sure," she gritted out and tried to rise.  
  
"Wait," he put a hand on her shoulder and urged her back down. "Just take it easy a minute. I have to think."  
  
She was still shivering, and he wrapped his coat more tightly around her, then impulsively gathered her in his arms and held her close, sharing body heat. His chin rested on the top of her head, and he breathed in the scent of shampoo and girl sweat. Closing his eyes for a second, Xander took comfort in the warm body in his arms while he quickly reviewed his options.  
  
They could stay put and see what time - or Rufus brought, but instead of rescue it might be a death sentence. He could try to make it out with her in tow, dodging a minefield of traps and headed God knew what direction. Or.....he could leave her, leave a trail, and try to find the way to the motel on his own. The last would certainly be the easiest, but a sudden mental picture of coming back and discovering Faith's frozen, bloodless corpse flashed in his mind. None of the plans were looking good.  
  
He shook himself from his despair. If they just kept sitting there, chances were they'd be joining the others in the boneyard. Right or wrong, it was time to make a move.  
  
Faith was so heavily slumped against him, Xander was afraid she had passed out. He shook her carefully.  
  
"Hey. We've got to get moving," he urged. He touched her cool, white face. "I hope your Slayer healing kicks in and works overtime, cause you look like hell."  
  
"Thanks," she grunted. "Help me up."  
  
He rose and pulled her up beside him, leaned her against a tree while he scavenged two large branches, then handed her one to use as a crutch, while he used the other to test for more traps. Sweeping the way ahead with his stick, juggling the light, and supporting Faith, while pushing through heavy underbrush, was a real test of dexterity. Xander felt like frigging Grizzly Adams, as he blindly guided them through the dark wilderness.  
  
********* Dawn steered Willow's new car with reckless abandon through the back streets of Sunnydale, a very cranky vamp riding shotgun. Although he refrained from giving any advice or criticism, his clenched jaw advertised his dissatisfaction. Honestly, how could Red imagine that Dawn's driving was superior to his! She'd ridden with the girl often enough to know better. And while he might tend to speed, he maneuvered with authority, while Dawn gathered speed in time to the velocity of her chattering and was completely unfocussed on the road.  
  
"Cletus? Who names their kid 'Cletus'?" Dawn ruminated, as she abruptly turned right on Elm St.  
  
"Your mum picked 'Buffy'?" Spike pointed out.  
  
Dawn laughed. "You know she's really 'Elizabeth'.....Willll-yam. But 'Cletus'! That's like 'Bubba' or 'Jethro'. Oops. I think I needed to turn again back there."  
  
Turning the car around in a convenience store parking lot, Dawn headed back up the street. She drove a few minutes in silence, and her skill improved noticeably.  
  
"What?" Spike finally interrupted her thoughts. After spending the summer- without-Buffy caring for Dawn, he knew the girl well enough to read her silences. This wasn't a daydreaming about Tim silence, but an 'I have something on my mind but am afraid to bring it up' kind of quiet.  
  
"Just thinking," she answered, uncharacteristically subdued.  
  
"About....?" he prompted. Damn females, and their way of forcing you to cajole the words out of them.  
  
"Buffy. A-and her maybe not being the Slayer anymore." She paused. "Thinking about what that means to us. Don't you?" She looked at Spike curiously.  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"I mean, at first I thought, 'Great! We can finally leave this hellhole, and Buffy'll have a chance to do....whatever it is she would rather do than run around killing things.' Then, I really started thinking about it last night. I'd have to leave Tim and all my friends. I mean, I know I'm going to have to soon anyway when we graduate next year, but still.... Also, we'd be leaving Will and Xander and Anya. I hadn't even thought about that. They're family!" Dawn fell silent again, and Spike waited. "Suddenly it doesn't sound so exciting anymore to move away - to leave Sunnydale."  
  
'Leaving bloody Sunnydale is the least of my worries,' Spike thought bitterly, but he smiled at Dawn, automatically moved into soothing mode. After years of practice with Dru, it was second nature.  
  
"Don't worry yet, Bit. Nothing's set in stone. Could be the Council will have second thoughts, leave Buffy here and put the other Slayer somewhere else. Or Buffy can put them off awhile so you can finish up high school with your mates. She always does what she wants anyway."  
  
"Either way, though, this year or next, everything's gonna change," Dawn said, thoughtfully. "I've waited all this time to be grown up, to be out on my own, and now...well, it's kinda scary, isn't it?"  
  
"You'll do fine," Spike reassured, "And your sister and friends will always be there for you." He mouthed the appropriate platitudes, while thinking, 'Whoever said, 'Change is good.' was full of crap.' As Buffy moved into semi then full retirement, what possible place could he have in her life anymore? It was one thing to be the Slayer's consort, fight by her side and protect her, but Buffy, as a normal girl, would want a normal life. What use could he be to her then?  
  
He sighed, and tried to follow his own advice to Dawn. Don't worry...yet.  
  
Dawn pulled the car up in front of the address from the printout and killed the motor. She looked at the computer sheet then back up at the building. They were parked in front of an industrial looking building with no sign but the street number.  
  
"This can't be right. The guy lives in a warehouse?"  
  
"I think you better drive on," Spike cautioned. "Don't think we can just knock on the front door and say 'hello'."  
  
Dawn restarted the car and cruised up the road, found a parking spot a block away, and soon they were approaching the building on foot from the alley.  
  
"Maybe we could go in an emergency exit," Dawn whispered, tugging at Spike's arm and pointing.  
  
"Probably got an alarm system." He scanned the side of the building until he found what he was looking for. "You see that window up there? I'll boost you up, and you take a peek in."  
  
From the vantage of Spike's shoulders, Dawn could just press her face to the bottom of the dirty window. She smeared the grime around to get a better look and could make out moving shapes inside. After watching a moment, she kicked Spike in the side of the head to get him to let her down.  
  
"I know what they're doing!" she hissed, excitedly. "It's like the movies - a chop shop. They're doing makeovers on stolen cars."  
  
Spike thought for a minute. "You said a demon was with this bloke, right?"  
  
Dawn nodded.  
  
"Cars for demons. Do you know how hard it is to buy from a regular lot when you don't have any id? At least vamps can get fake papers and pass for human. A lot of these demons....well, you've seen 'em."  
  
"So, you're telling me Cletus is doing a valuable service for the demon world by stealing cars, probably killing the owners, and retooling them for his customers. Free enterprise - isn't America great?"  
  
"Come on." Spike nudged her and they headed back up the alley.  
  
  
  
"What next?" Dawn asked, as she resumed the driver's seat. She was as enthusiastic and fresh as she had been that morning, researching with Willow, which might have had something to do with the five cups of coffee she'd drunk throughout the day.  
  
"You go back home and get ready for school tomorrow. I'll go to Willie's and try to connect up with this Cletus to buy a car."  
  
to be continued 


	9. 9

Going on Faith - chapter 9  
  
Apologies to those who have been waiting for an update to this tale. I'd actually given it up, having hit a monumental block, then decided today I should just push through and try to find 'what happens next'.  
  
He was wrong. It could get worse. The wind had risen until the branches of the trees around them were rattling like dry bones and icy pellets of rain had begun to pelt them. Faith was barely moving under her own steam now. Her dead weight pressed against him and he hoisted her up again by tightening the arm draped around his neck.  
  
"Sorry," she muttered, trying to regain her own footing and only succeeding in pulling him off balance so they both swayed.  
  
"No. Problem," he grunted. For such a twig of a girl, she seemed to weigh a ton. They tottered on for a few more steps before Xander's strength gave out. "Time for a rest." He unslung her arm and eased her down to the ground. She dropped gratefully.  
  
"Just a minute," she agreed sleepily. The Slayer leaned back against a tree trunk, and Xander took her ankle onto his lap to have a look at the damage. He removed the blood soaked bandage and gently probed at the torn flesh. If only there were water to wash off the blood so he could tell what was going on. But there wasn't.  
  
"Faith, you're going to have to give me your T-shirt. We need a fresh bandage," he explained, tugging at her sleeve, "Let me help you get the coat and jacket off." He guided her out of both garments, then had her lift her arms so he could peel the skimpy T off. Knowing Faith, Xander shouldn't have been as surprised as he was that there was no bra underneath. Her nipples peaked instantly in the chill air and for a selfish second his only desire was for better lighting than the weak flashlight glow, so he could get a clearer look. He mentally shook himself and helped the woman back into her jacket, buttoning it up over bare flesh. Then covering her with the heavy warmth of his coat.  
  
His hands were like ice, and shaking, as he tied the clean material around her tattered ankle. It seemed that there was no fresh blood and that the wounds may be starting to scab over, but it was hard to tell in the dim light. He prayed that Buffy would be wondering what was keeping them and starting to look for them any second. Maybe Rufus was leading her to them right now.  
  
********* (earlier) Buffy's impression of the peculiar owner of the Sleep Tite Motel had matched Faith and Xander's. As she checked in and quickly scanned the dingy little office, she felt as if she'd stepped back in time. Her Slayer sense told her that Bernie wasn't a vamp, and a quick touch of his hand as he passed her the key, confirmed that he was indeed alive, so not a zombie. Demons could fool you with a very human face, as Anya and Halfrek were proof, still Buffy sensed that this very creepy man was just that. A man.  
  
"So.... bet you don't get much traffic way out here," she stalled for time, hoping to get a glimpse of Mrs. Weird and Wednesday Adams.  
  
"Nope." The charming host hawked up a wad of phlegm, spit it into his bandana, and gave it a quick exam before stuffing the handkerchief back in his pocket. He gazed blankly at Buffy, who grimaced at the disgusting display.  
  
"I was lucky I saw your sign," she continued. "I've been driving for hours and I'm exhausted. Once I got off the highway, I got all turned around and ended up here." Bernie stared his indifference. Hoping to look like she had 'victim' stamped on her forehead, Buffy said helpfully, "My family's not expecting me for days and days. I just hope I make it there before Granny kicks off."  
  
When she continued to hesitate and toy with the bell on the counter, he said, "Room's fourth in the row. Number fell off the door so don't look for one."  
  
"Ookay." Buffy tried another tack. "Hey, you must get really get lonely running this place. You got a family or anything? They around here?"  
  
"My woman's cookin' out back," he gestured with a thumb over one shoulder. As if suddenly remembering some long-forgotten etiquette, he added, "You get hungry later, you can have some barbecue."  
  
"Mmm. Sounds good," Buffy shot him a dazzling grin. "I'll have to take you up on that. Well, see ya." She slipped out of the office and headed toward her room, jingling the keys in one hand. The sight of a practically albino little girl standing under a tree at the edge of the parking lot like a ghost, holding a blanket-wrapped bundle, stopped her in her tracks.  
  
Buffy turned the wattage up on her smile and sauntered over to the child. "Hi. What you got there? Is that your dolly?" She brushed aside the blanket expecting to see a pink-cheeked vinyl baby doll and jumped back with a screech of horror. All her years of slaying still didn't prepare her for some of twisted shit she came across on the job. Darling Marcy was holding a mummified human baby up for her inspection.  
  
Buffy recovered quickly, realizing this was her chance to pick the kid's brain for information. Acting as if she hadn't just freaked out, she stepped forward and oozed charm. "What a darling little thing! Where did you get her?"  
  
Silence and a grave, cross-eyed, stare.  
  
"Did your daddy bring you the doll, sweetheart?"  
  
More silence.  
  
"I bet he did. Maybe your mom and dad gave it to your for your birthday or something?"  
  
The child's mouth opened, and Buffy waited........And waited.....  
  
"This'un was too small, mama said. Not enough meat so she said I could keep her."  
  
"Uh-huh." Buffy made agreeing sounds. Yes of course. Perfect logic. Too small to eat? What else would you do but make a doll out of it? She nodded and continued to pin a smile on her aching face.  
  
The last rays of the sun disappeared behind the woods as Buffy stood regarding the little cannibal girl and deciding what her next move should be. A wild barking and rustling in the underbrush heralded the unexpected arrival of Xander's new pet, which came bounding from the trees and ran straight for them. Little Marcy shrieked and dropped her 'doll', grabbing at Buffy and trying to climb her like a scrawny monkey. Buffy resisted the urge to kick the repugnant child away from her, but pushed her firmly down, while shouting at Rufus to 'Sit'.  
  
The Slayer scanned the darkening woods wondering how far behind the mutt Xander and Faith were. Marcy continued to howl in fear as the dog pranced around them, and the ruckus roused Bernie, who came out of the office and stared at them across the parking lot. Damn! This was not looking good. Best play ignorant.  
  
Buffy waved at him, shouting, "Cute little girl you have here! I think she's afraid of this stray." She grabbed the dog's collar and gave Marcy a little push toward her dad. Quickly retrieving her dolly, the kid ran to him. Buffy then let go of Rufus and with another little wave, headed calmly toward her room. From the corner of her eye she saw the odd pair retreat back into the building.  
  
Buffy unlocked her room and entered, standing just inside the door and scanning the outdoors. The dog tried to follow her into the room and continued panting, barking and pawing at her leg. The sinking feeling that the others were in trouble and wouldn't be popping out of the woods any time soon began to settle in. She wondered what horrors they might have found there. The idea of bumbling around trying to find them in the now dark forest wasn't attractive.  
  
"You want me to follow you, don't you, Lassie?" she asked the dog drily. "Little Xander's in trouble? Take me to him!" Throwing caution to the wind, she sprinted across the parking lot again and plunged into the woods behind the canine, oblivious of the eyes watching from the Sleep Tite Motel.  
  
************  
  
Spike entered "The Hovel", the newer demon hangout that was giving Willy's serious competition. He was pretty well known around Sunnydale as the Slayer's paramour and didn't know if he could make the necessary contacts here without being recognized. Nevertheless, Spike jammed a black knit cap on his head, turned the collar of his coat up to hide as much of his face as possible, and made his entrance. So far, so good, he didn't recognize anyone in the place.  
  
He slid onto a stool and asked the Barzai demon tending bar for a double shot of A-positive with a chaser of Dewars. The barkeep grunted and set him up.  
  
"Hey, mate," Spike spoke confidentially, leaning in to the bar. "I heard this is the place to find a guy who'll set me up with a set of wheels?"  
  
"Maybe." The Barzai was non-committal, but his eyes quickly shot over to a booth in the back, before returning to Spike.  
  
"Can you put me on to him?"  
  
Shrugging, the bartender returned to slinging drinks. Spike waited patiently, watched him whisper in the ear of a waitress, who nodded and sashayed away with a loaded tray balanced on one hand. From the corner of his eye he saw her deposit a drink at that corner booth, then lean in to deliver the message. He could only see the back of a nodding head.  
  
He downed his drinks and asked for another shot. In a moment the waitress tapped his shoulder and gave him the go ahead, "He'll see you, honey," she gestured to the back, then lowered her voice. "Guy's a human, and don't look like much, but don't let him fool ya'. He can get what you need, but don't think he's weak and try to screw him over when it's time to pay. You don't wanna mess with Cletus."  
  
'.....the slack-jawed yokel' sang the voice in Spike's mind. He stifled a grin and gave the waitress a curt nod before rising and heading over to the auto dealer. He slid into the booth across from someone who looked like the lovechild of Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble.  
  
"You Maxwell?" Spike asked.  
  
"I speak for him," the guy answered. "What can I get for ya?"  
  
"Something late model that runs. The important thing is reflective windows. I'm gonna have to run it in daylight. Also, the paperwork should be clean."  
  
"Can do. You show me some upfront cash and I'll show you what we have available."  
  
"First, I want to know that no one's gonna be looking for it."  
  
The neanderthal shook his head. "Not a problem. All our rides are guaranteed clean." He leaned in confidentially. "Cousin of Cletus's takes out the former owners, secures the vehicles, and passes 'em on to us. A little make-over, some fresh papers, and bingo, you got a safe ride, that'll stand up if you ever get pulled over."  
  
Spike nodded. "Sounds good. I'm making the purchase for someone else, so just tell me what kind of cash we're talking and I'll arrange another meeting with you later."  
  
After settling the terms, time and place, Spike quickly exited the bar. The connection between the motel owner and Maxwell seemed pretty clear. Now it only remained to find out how Buffy would want to handle it. He cursed her again for not taking the cell along on her expedition with Harris and the other Slayer. Didn't know why he'd bothered to get her the damn thing if she never had it with her when he needed to call.  
  
Even though it was only humans involved in this scheme, he had an uneasy feeling about it. There was no way he could go back to the house and just sit on his hands til they showed up. Spike slid behind the wheel of Willow's sporty new car and revved the engine. He smiled, thinking how pissed she'd be if she knew Dawn had let him wheedle the keys away from her, then slipped it in gear and roared down the street to the highway that would take him to Buffy.  
  
  
  
to be continued 


	10. 10

Going on Faith - Chapter 10  
  
"This was a bright idea, Buffy," the Slayer thought as she pushed through a tangle of brambles, trying to keep up with the mutt which was, hopefully, leading her to Xander and Faith. No flashlight, no natural sense of direction, and her favorite cream colored pants quickly being shredded, all added up to another fun-filled evening on the Hellmouth. When oh when would she learn to dress down when going on a potentially hazardous mission?  
  
Buffy considered the elements of the Case of the Missing Watcher thus far, as she continued to plunge through the backwoods after the elusive Rufus. Macardle's car had been found abandoned not too far from the creepy Sleep- Tite motel, where he had apparently spent a night. Said motel was run by a very unusual family of....whatever they were, whose daughter carried around a mummified baby as a doll. And Faith and Xander might or might not be lost in the woods. She certainly hoped she was coming to their rescue and not just losing herself while they showed up at the motel looking for her.  
  
At any rate, things weren't looking good for the Watcher. The chances they'd find him alive seemed minimal. She wondered if the Council would send Faith a new Watcher right away, or leave her under Buffy's tutelage for awhile. They said no one could fathom the ways of God, well, God was nothing compared to the labyrinthine mazes of Quentin Travers' mind. Sometimes she thought the secret was that he had no plan at all, just a random series of decisions designed to plague Slayers as much as possible.  
  
An excited whining echoed from somewhere ahead. Buffy slicked back the rain soaked hair from her face and tried to peer through the steady drizzle and the darkness of the forest. She heard a human voice answering the dog....Xander!....and she darted forward. Then, between one second and the next, the ground in front of her disappeared.  
  
******** Xander froze at the sound of something large crashing through the underbrush, one hand firmly grasping Rufus' collar, the cheap plastic leash having torn off somewhere in the woods. Despite the muzzle they had placed on him to keep him quiet, the canine managed to make a hell of a lot of noise, and Xander was afraid it would draw whatever was out there to them like a homing beacon. Unless, whatever was out there was Buffy in which case.....  
  
"Ow!! Xander?" a familiar voice called from somewhere off to the left, and the young man smiled in relief. Rescued!  
  
"Buffy! I'm coming!" he shouted back, struggling to hold the dog, which now seemed determined to lead him to the Slayer. "Stay put, Faith," he called over his shoulder as the animal jerked him off his feet.  
  
"Not goin' anywhere," she responded, huddling into a little ball in the icy rain.  
  
"Wait, Xander, big hole!" He was getting closer to the source of the voice, but it still had a muffled quality to it.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Don't fall in!" she was insisting, and suddenly Buffy's voice was coming from practically under him, and the ground was crumbling away from beneath his foot.  
  
"Jeeze Louise!" He gasped, falling back on his butt, losing his grip on the dog, dropping the flashlight, and scuttling backward from the edge of the abyss. Retrieving the flash, Xander scooched close to the edge of the pit and trained it down inside to reveal the muddy face of his savior.  
  
"Hey," Buffy waved up at him.  
  
"Hey yourself."  
  
"Wanna get me out of here?"  
  
"If you get me out of these damn woods. No more nature hikes for me....ever!"  
  
"Deal." Buffy scrunched up her face. "Except I'm kinda lost myself. Don't lose that dog of yours or we'll be stuck here all night."  
  
"Too late. He already took off again." Xander scanned the woods around him. "Just hold tight, Buff, and let me find a branch or something. We'll have you out in a thrice. What is a 'thrice' anyway?"  
  
"I don't know. Less than a minute, I hope, cause it's getting really soggy and muddy down here."  
  
Xander struggled to snap off a long, dead branch, which looked sturdy enough to hold the Slayer's weight.  
  
"Where's Faith?"  
  
"A few yards over that way.....or that way....I think. She got hurt her leg in a trap so she's kinda out of commission." He finally wrestled the branch apart from the tree and dragged it over to Buffy's prison. "Watch out," he called, as he stepped cautiously toward the edge and poked the makeshift ladder down into the hole.  
  
"Ow! Scratchy!" the blond complained. "Did I mention how much I hate nature?"  
  
"You and me both. Get me back to the safe streets of Sunnydale." Xander turned the flashlight down to illuminate Buffy's progress climbing the brittle tree branch. "Sorry. It's not too sturdy is it?" he remarked, when a bit broke off in her hand and sent the Slayer tumbling back.  
  
"Buffy, you won't believe what we found tonight," he continued. "A whole cemetery's worth of body parts - only without the headstones."  
  
"Mass grave? Why am I not surprised," Buffy grunted as she prepared to ascend again. "That's one majorly dysfunctional family...."  
  
It was the last Xander heard before a searing pain burned through his body, generating out from his midback in waves before reaching his brain and leaving him in blackness.  
  
"Damn, tourists!" Bernie Joskovitch, taser dangling from one hand, nudged Xander's prone body with a mud-caked workboot and spat over the edge of the pit, just missing Buffy's upturned face. The ladder-branch was suddenly pulled back up out of the hole before she could think to snatch at it and the Slayer was left gaping up nothing.  
  
The motel owner reached down and grabbed the unconscious man by one wrist and began dragging him away, while the dog frisked around them both, wanting to join in this fun new game.  
  
"Wait!! What...?!" Buffy yelled, impotently. "Hey!"  
  
She was met by silence except for the rustling of leaves and crackling of branches as the trio moved off through the woods.  
  
"Damn!" The tired, soaked woman leaned against the wall of her prison, then sank down to a crouch. "My job sucks," she muttered, wondering how many times her friends had gotten knocked unconscious in the line of her Slayerly duty. She sighed and waited until all she could hear was the patter of rain, then began screaming for Faith.  
  
******** When Xander regained consciousness, he was instantly aware of the delicious aroma of barbecue sauce causing his stomach to rumble. It'd been a long time since lunch. His eyes flickered open, while his hands and feet strained against the ropes that bound him. He found himself looking at the generous backside of the lovely Mrs. Joskovitch. The sharp sound of her knife hitting a cutting board cleared the last of the fog from his head.  
  
Eyes flicking around the kitchen looking for escape, the young man continued to quietly test the strength of his bonds, hoping he could wiggle his way free. The large woman cast a glance his way, "Hi there, young feller. Guess you'll be staying for dinner?" She laughed loudly and the huge knife came down with a thwonk, splitting a head of cabbage.  
  
Cannibal jokes. Great. Those never go out of style. Xander thought wildly. He decided to play ignorant and gave a weak smile.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry about the trespassing. I was just looking for my dog. He got away from me when I was here earlier. Crazy mutt. So if you'll cut me loose, I'll just get out of your hair. You can give me a call if the pooch turns up."  
  
Velma laughed even louder. "How dumb do you think I am, sonny?"  
  
"Not?" Xander ventured. "Not dumb at all. No. I knew right away when I met you today that you were one smart woman. That's what I said to, um, Doris, 'That Mrs. J is one smart woman!'"  
  
"Shaddap." The wide smile was abruptly extinguished and the woman loomed over him, taking his chin in one ham-sized fist and shaking his head roughly. "Enough chatter or I'll knock you out again."  
  
"Yes, ma'am." Xander fell silent and pondered why he had been taken and Buffy left in the pit. It didn't seem prudent to ask.  
  
He suddenly got a mental image of Bugs Bunny stalling Yosemite Sam by giving him the recipe for Hasenpfeffer, and wondered if he could use a similar ruse to distract his captor, but no, they'd already established that Velma wasn't dumb. His best bet was to keep quiet and watchful for sharp objects that he might be able to use to his advantage.  
  
"Bernie!" the woman suddenly bellowed. "Hurry and process the meat. You can move the car later."  
  
Xander gulped. Maybe now would be a good time to use the Bugs defense after all.  
  
"Uh, Mrs. Joskovitch? I see you're a woman who loves to cook. Have you ever experimented with fresh basil and peppercorn studded rump roast? There's a recipe my mother used to use I think you'd find delightful, very savory and....and piquant."  
  
*********** Faith lifted her weary head from her knees and blinked. What the hell was keeping Harris? And was that her name being called. She could swear she heard a faint......  
  
"Faith!!!" the voice was laced with irritation and borderline panic.  
  
"Yeah! Coming!" She pulled herself to her feet by clutching the tree behind her, switched on her flashlight and shuffled toward Buffy's voice. "Keep callin', B."  
  
"Hurry up! That crazy cannibal's got Xander."  
  
Faith sped up and promptly tripped over a root and fell painfully to her knees. "Shit." She crawled forward a few yards.  
  
"And watch out. I'm in a hole in the ground. Don't fall in," Buffy added.  
  
"The whole damn woods is booby-trapped," Faith muttered as she continued to crawl ahead.  
  
Reaching the pit, she shone her light down on the frustrated and furious Chosen One. "There's a branch up there somewhere. Shove it down here," she commanded.  
  
Faith obediently recovered the deadwood and held it steady while Buffy quickly clambered up. The blond gave Faith's injured ankle a once-over then said, "Look, I hate to ditch you here but Xander's in trouble....."  
  
"You gotta go." Faith agreed. "So go. I'll find my way out eventually." She handed over the flashlight. "Watch out for more traps." Buffy nodded and turned to leave, took about three steps, then sighed and turned back.  
  
"No." She hauled the dark-haired girl up and slung an arm around her waist. "'Never leave a man behind.' Just hobble fast, okay?"  
  
Faith bit back the pain that shot up from her ankle and proceeded to do just that. Sweat poured in her eyes as she struggled along at something less than Slayer speed.  
  
"Uh, do you have any idea where we're headed?" she eventually asked her partner in the three legged race, when they had twisted and turned their way past several huge trees.  
  
"Sure. I'm following the moon," Buffy answered confidently and pointed. "See? Now that the rain's stopped I can see a little light through the clouds every now and then."  
  
"Oh. Okay," Faith shrugged and allowed herself to be pulled along.  
  
The moonlight turned out to be the neon glow of "Tite" in the motel's sign, the "Sleep" part having burnt out long ago. As a beacon for the lost wanderers, it worked, leading them straight to the parking lot, where Xander's car still sat.  
  
Buffy deposited Faith at the edge of the woods, where she would have a good view and a safer position than in the car. "Got your weapons," she asked.  
  
"Coupla stakes and a sharp knife. I'm set."  
  
"Good. I'll scout around."  
  
"Wait." Faith laid a hand on her arm and gestured with the other to the rear of the motel where a dilapidated shed stood. A dark figure was dragging another dark figure from the larger building to the smaller.  
  
Buffy nodded and began to stealthily creep up on Xander and his captor. She could hear her old friend, chattering non-stop. Sounded like he said "Hassenpfeffer". Weird. The door shut behind them as they entered the shed, and she quickly invented and discarded various plans to get Xander out of the place unscathed. Her first impulse was just to burst in, metaphoric guns blazing, but that might only succeed in getting his throat cut faster.  
  
Buffy slipped around the perimeter of the building, looking for a window where she might catch a glimpse of the action inside. It was windowless, of course. She stood for a moment, feeling as helpless and frustrated as if she were still trapped in the pit, then a plan sprang fully-formed in her brain, like a cartoon light bulb going off.  
  
She sprinted toward the motel to secure her hostage.  
  
  
  
to be continued... 


	11. 11

Faith - Chapter 11  
  
From her position at the edge of the trees, Faith watched Buffy make her way toward the motel after prowling once or twice around the shed where Xander was being held. What the hell?!  
  
Like Buffy, Faith's first instinct would've been to burst in, guns blazing, but unlike Buffy, she never reconsidered her instincts or made plans. Thus, she had no idea what the other Slayer was up to. She only knew Xander must be saved - and fast! Pushing herself to her feet, Faith half loped, half hobbled across the parking lot toward the shed. Despite the trauma to her ankle, she was moving better now. Thank God for Slayer healing and a healthy shot of adrenalin!  
  
Without a moment's hesitation, she aimed herself at the door where Joskovitch and his victim had entered, and barreled on through, knife ready in one hand. She stopped short at the sight of Xander's trussed body laying on a slab and the motel owner poised to strike his neck with a cleaver. His arm was frozen almost comically in mid-air, mouth open in surprise, as he registered her presence.  
  
Moving on instinct she threw herself toward the man, chopping up with one arm to knock the weapon from his hand. Her dive coupled with her bad ankle toppled her face down on the floor, but she quickly rolled over and with a back arch, sprang to her feet again. Mr. Motel Hell was reaching for another implement of destruction from the wall full of sharp edged dealies. Faith put all her weight on her injured leg, gritting her teeth against the pain, and swept out with her other foot, knocking both legs out from under her adversary. He fell with an 'oof' to the floor and instantly began trying to scuttle away on all fours.  
  
Faith took advantage of his weakened position and attacked him with the knife still clutched in her right hand. She drove the blade in between the ribs of his back with a satisfying 'thunk'. Blood gushed out of the wound, as she withdrew the knife. The man let out a piteous scream, and at the same time Faith realized that Xander was shouting "No!" at her. She stopped herself, just in time, from delivering a second, killing blow.  
  
"Faith, stop! He's human. You can't kill him. Tie him up, then call the police," Xander was saying.  
  
"Right. I knew that," Faith muttered, thinking what a drag it was to bring ethics into what was, to her, a black-white situation. Bad guy - bad. Must be killed. Buffy and her friends made it all so difficult.  
  
She wiped her knife on the cannibal's shirt, stood up, kicked him over to his side so he wouldn't be crawling anywhere, then looked around for something to tie him up with. The rope binding Xander looked useable so she stepped over to him and began untying.  
  
"Man, you got here just in the nick. How did you make it out of the woods?"  
  
She rolled his body so she could pick at the knot at his wrists. "Buffy," she answered. "I got her out of the hole, then we followed the moon."  
  
Xander started to laugh, realized Faith was serious, and backpedaled. "That Buffy, she's quite a woodsman....er...woman." He paused. "So where is she?"  
  
"I don't know." Faith unwound the rope and Xander began chafing the feeling back into his hands. "She took off for the motel for some reason."  
  
Thrusting her knee in the small of Joskovitch's back and driving him down to the floor again, Faith started tying with vicious tugs at the rope. The blood from his wound was soaking through his shirt and got on the knee of her pants, really pissing her off.  
  
Xander had finished loosing his legs and came over to help. "Um, Faith, maybe we'd better do something about that stab wound. He's bleeding pretty heavily." He looked around, found an old rust-stained rag ('or maybe it was something much yuchier than rust,' he thought), and pushed it up under the man's shirt, staunching the flow a little.  
  
"Happy now?" Faith asked, continuing to truss up their criminal.  
  
"Hey, I know it'd be a lot easier and probably more satisfying to just off the guy, but this isn't "The Sopranos"," Xander argued. "America. Court system. Innocent until proven...yada, yada."  
  
Faith glanced up at him and rolled her eyes in disgust. "He was about to kill you and there's a woods full of body parts. What more proof do you need?" She wavered as she rose to her feet, and Xander steadied her with a hand to the elbow, then they both stood, arms crossed, looking down at the cannibal.  
  
Meanwhile.....  
  
Buffy ran toward the motel, well aware that every second might cost Xander his life. She was convinced that she needed the leverage of a hostage - little crazy Marcy - to get her friend away from his captor. But where would she find the pasty-faced midget?  
  
At the rear of the building was a door leading into what looked to be the family's dwelling, behind the main office. Buffy was heading toward it when she tripped on something in the dark and fell to her knees. She glanced behind her and saw a shadowy, grayish blob. She poked at it with her toe and felt the solid mass give in that way she was too familiar with. Only dead bodies had that particular feel. Reaching out her hand, she touched the still-warm corpse. Fur met her fingertips. Xander's pup.  
  
"Now you've got me really pissed!! Killing poor little dogs!" The Slayer scrambled to her feet and lurched toward the door, turned the knob and entered a narrow, darkened hallway. She froze and listened for any movement, heard nothing, and began to feel around for a light switch. She flicked the switch up and down with no response, gave up and crept sightlessly down the hall.  
  
Buffy heard noises coming from somewhere up ahead. There was the whir of a blender, and the heavy tread and tuneless humming of what could only be Mrs. Joskovitch moving around her kitchen. Great! She'd make as good a hostage as the kid, and Buffy would feel less guilty using her as such. Continuing to feel her way down the dark hall, she picked up her pace a little. Suddenly, Buffy felt a wicked pain in her shins and she was falling down for the third time that evening.  
  
"This is getting ridiculous," she thought as she tumbled, pain arching up from something slicing into her legs. "What the hell is it this time?" As her arms took the jarring blow of her body weight, she immediately rolled to one side and simultaneously reached back to feel for what had caused her fall. It was something thin, and sharp. Razor wire. Another booby trap, which could only mean.....  
  
Whump!! Buffy felt the air move by her ear as a knife whizzed past and buried in the floor next to her, right where she would've lain if Slayer reflexes hadn't caused her to twist out of the way. In the shadows next to her, she saw the blur of a pale face and thin white hands struggling to pull the embedded knife out.  
  
"Hold on there, little girl!" She grabbed one bony wrist and held on to Marcy, who writhed in her grasp like an eel and snapped at her like a tiny shark.  
  
"Maw-meeeeeee!!!!" screeched the little hellion, and there was an answering cry, "Sweetie-pie?" then the thunder of heavy footsteps barreling toward them from the other room. The hall was suddenly flooded with light as a door at the far end was kicked open and the enormous figure of Mrs. Joskovitch was framed in the doorway.  
  
"Oh great. Now I have to deal with the Bad Seed and Miss Trunchbull at the same time!" Buffy thought, trying to pry the girl's jaws from her arm where she had dug in like a pit bull, and debating whether to face the huge woman who was bearing down on her or to make a quick exit back outside.  
  
Though the hall was dim, one look at the enraged mother coming to defend her cub, decided it. Buffy skipped back over the taut wire and tumbled through the exit door, still attached to Marcy.  
  
She hit the ground, rolled and rose in one smooth move, then raced toward the shed, biting back a scream of rage at the pain in her arm and the urge to shake the little rugrat 'til she broke her neck. Glancing over one shoulder, she saw that her pursuer hadn't emerged from the building yet.  
  
Buffy battered at the door of the shed with her free arm, screaming for Mr. Joskovitch and demanding Xander's release. It suddenly opened inward, just as she delivered a Slayer-sized blow, and Buffy fell into Xander himself, who caught her and set her back on her feet.  
  
"Buffy?!"  
  
"Xander! How'd you get.....Faith?!"  
  
"Hey, B, who's your little friend?"  
  
"Hostage. And her mother's right behind me so...."  
  
Out of the back door of the motel steamrolled the Joskovitch matriarch, bellowing wildly.  
  
"Oh shit," Xander supplied.  
  
"Hold it right there or the kid gets it," Faith improvised. The woman came to an instant screeching halt and stood there panting and sweating.  
  
"Where's Paw?" she asked.  
  
"Tied up inside. Now, just put the cleaver down and we'll let your little girl go." Xander's voice was as soothing as if he were trying to reason with a Rottweiler. She slowly lowered her cutter and finally dropped it to the ground with a thunk.  
  
Buffy managed to loosen Marcy's grip on her arm, and had ten blood-oozing crescents plus a nice bite impression in her skin to show for the confrontation. The child flew to her mother and clambered up her like a tree. Without a pause, Mrs. J. scooped the child into her embrace....then took off running around the edge of the building, across the parking lot, toward the woods.  
  
"Not again! I am so not up for this!" Buffy took off into a half-hearted trot after them, with Faith and Xander lagging behind.  
  
Just then a car tore into the parking lot in a rattling spray of gravel and stopped almost in front of them. From Willow's new, and now very dusty, vehicle jumped Spike. He took in the fleeing woman and the pursuing Slayers, then made a flying leap and tackled the Amazon to the ground. She fell hard, landing on her little girl, who let out a pained squeal.  
  
But the fight wasn't out of her yet and she tried to wrestle away from Spike and regain her feet. He landed a solid blow to her head, which bounced once off the hard gravel of the parking lot, then lay still.  
  
Little Marcy crawled from underneath her mother's obese body and stood whimpering and glaring at Spike. He started to reach for her and she snarled and snapped at him, standing over her mama with feral protectiveness. Spike retreated, realizing the kid wasn't going anywhere.  
  
The two Slayers and Xander limped up, and they all stood gazing at the sad little tableau of mother and child and wondering what would happen next.  
  
************  
  
Hours later, after the police and the questions and statements and countless cups of bad coffee down at headquarters, the Scoobies were finally crashed in the Summers' living room. Everyone had told his or her part of the story, first to the authorities, then to Dawn and Willow. Now they stretched out in utter exhaustion, trying to muster the energy to go to bed and get a couple of hours sleep before morning.  
  
"I've got to get home." Willow yawned hugely and rose from her spot on the ottoman. "Spike. Keys."  
  
He moved Buffy off his lap long enough to fish them out of his pocket and toss them at the Wiccan, who caught them deftly, then he settled his Slayer firmly back down in the deep armchair they shared.  
  
"And there better not be a scratch, mister....not a scratch!" Willow admonished as she headed out the door.  
  
"Dawn. You too. School tomorrow," Buffy reminded.  
  
"Hello! Almost an adult here. I think I know how much sleep I can function on!" Dawn snapped as she stretched back on the living room rug. She had actually been about to go, but now that Buffy TOLD her to.....well.  
  
Buffy opened her mouth again, but caught Spike's eye with his 'let it go' expression and turned to Xander instead.  
  
"You're exhausted. Why don't you just sleep on the couch tonight?"  
  
Since he'd already been almost asleep, stretched out on his end of the sofa, Faith's hurt ankle elevated across his legs, it was easy to acquiesce. Xander simply nodded and closed his eyes.  
  
Faith gave a bone cracking stretch and eased her aching body off the couch. "Guess I'll turn in, too." Xander's eyes instantly flew open again.  
  
"Need help upstairs?" he asked, then jumped up to lend her an arm around the waist.  
  
Dawn looked at them speculatively and smiled.  
  
Buffy looked at them speculatively and frowned.  
  
Spike couldn't care less and nuzzled into his beloved's tender neck, glad to have her back safe once more. Whatever changes this new Slayer might bring, he had decided he was more committed than ever to sticking to Buffy, even if his presence meant she could never have a 'normal' life.  
  
********** Upstairs, Faith leaned into Xander more heavily than she needed to and he was happy to have her weight pressed against him. He helped her into Willow's old room and sat her on the edge of the bed, then knelt at her feet to check the dressing on her ankle. It was clean and fresh, since Willow had put it on only an hour before, but he was enjoying fondling her foot and she was enjoying having him do it.  
  
Faith thought, if she hadn't been so goddamn tired she would encourage it to go well beyond the fondling stage. As it was, she could barely manage a smile and a quiet "Thanks," as he rose and laid her back on the bed, removing her jeans and tucking her under the covers like a child.  
  
He hesitated for a moment, standing by her bedside, then sat down on the edge.  
  
"Thank you." He answered her gratitude with his own. "You saved my life."  
  
"And you saved mine in the woods. I would've bled to death....or frozen...if you hadn't been there," she replied.  
  
"We make a good team," Xander said, then could've bitten his tongue at the corniness of it. What an idiot he could be!  
  
But Faith only smiled and looked at him through heavy lidded eyes. "Damn straight," she murmured.  
  
"Wonder what the Council will do with you now?" he wondered aloud.  
  
"At this point, I don't give a shit. Watcher or no Watcher, I'm not leaving Sunnydale. Not for awhile anyway."  
  
Xander nodded and put his hand over Faith's where it rested on the covers. Feeling more peaceful than she ever remembered being, she let it stay there and fell asleep with the warm weight of it securely anchoring her.  
  
END  
  
I know. I know. I promised sex and never delivered. But it was just too soon for them couldn't you tell? It would take many episodes for them to reach that point. I believe with the new development in the real show (spoiler for next year...don't read any farther if you don't want to know.....) where Faith is supposed to take over the Slayer duties after Sarah Michelle Gellar leaves, that we WILL see Faith/Xander interaction. I feel it in my bones.  
  
Hope this tale didn't end too abruptly to please everyone, but I'd really had enough of it a long time ago. Maybe someday I'll rework the ending. My real love is for Buffy/Spike and that's where my desire to write lies. Check out my "Back in the Basement" short series if you like that couple.  
  
My current love is for vidding, not writing, and I will soon be posting my very first music video "A Jonathan Tribute". Will post a link here, when I get it up.  
  
Thanks to all who read and gave feedback. The response is very important to fanfic writers who need that shot of courage to go on. 


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